Dread Moon
by LordDreadSigma
Summary: Fate has decided to introduce Jade and Tori to the reality of the world... Monsters are real. Now they must navigate their new world with the help of their friends and the friends of their new guide, Charles Weston. Warnings inside... Jori, eventually.
1. Bad Moon Rising

**AN:** I know the whole werewolf/vampire thing has run its course, but this story hit me like a sledgehammer one night and I decided what the hell.

There are a few lulls in the story, but I'm trying to lay the groundwork for what I hope is a long story, so please stick with me.

The idea here is a **Jade/Tori friendship**, that _might _somewhere down the line turn into Jori, if I feel that is a natural evolution of their relationship. But I rather like Bade and have a few ideas for Tori, so just a far warning.

There will be gay, lesbian, bi and straight original characters (OC) added into the mix, but...see above...none of the primary characters will be gay.

**Disclaimer:** In some parallel universe I do own Victorious, **But this isn't it**. **So I don't own Victorious. There will also be pop culture refrences to other shows and songs...and I don't own does either.**

**P.S. – **One last thing, this story was written before last Halloween, I mean you all will obviously get that but I felt like I owed you this little explanation. I have a really crappy internet connection and for whatever reason can't post but I've still been writing the story. And frankly I put in twenty plus chapters before the new episodes of Victorious and really don't feel like changing them to fit the no Bade universe…

Sorry about that just thought you deserved to know the why.

* * *

Prelude:

The halls of Hollywood Arts were poorly lit by the dimming fluorescent lighting; it was almost as if some unknown force was syphoning energy from the power grid and the lights were struggling to illuminate what they could. It was late Wednesday, nearing ten and the halls should have been empty, but Helen had insisted that Sikowitz create a revolutionary performance for Halloween. She knew this wasn't his job but she didn't like him and wanted to see him squirm. Sikowitz had summoned his best students to the school for late night inspiration during the full moon. Unfortunately he had a medical emergence and had to cancel the brainstorming session, but as he was calling the students informing them they no longer had to come to the school the cell network went down right before he got to Vega.

* * *

**Bad Moon Rising**

"Why are we the only ones here, Vega?" Jade asks in her normal state of constant annoyance as she crosses her arms. Both girls are searching the school for any sign of anyone else.

"I don't know. I don't have a signal, I can't call anyone." Tori answers with a little worry as she's fiddling with her phone.

"Well no duh, if you don't have a signal then you can't call anyone." Jade retorts with her standard condescension.

"Is this really the time?" She asks irritated, as she continues messing with her phone, the worry in her voice increases.

"What are you afraid of the dark, Vega?"

"No, I'm jus…What was that?" As she looks up to answer Jade she catches something out of the corner of her left eye.

"What was what?" Both have now come to a dead stop.

"I saw something moving over there." She's now focusing down an extremely poorly lit hallway.

"I don't see anything. You're really jumpy, Vega."

"No, I saw somethin…Aaaahhhhh..." Tori continues screaming as a hulking mass grabs her and carries her down the hallway opposite the one they were looking down.

"Tori!" Jade yells as Tori disappears down the hall. She stands there in a state of confusion, wondering what the hell that was and whether she should give chase. But before she can another mass is heading straight for her. Its bright yellow eyes lock onto her and is about to grab her when two loud cracks ring out as the hulk shifts its focus on the young blonde woman in black leather standing a few feet to her right.

"Run!" The woman shouts as she draws a sword shimmering silver in the low light. Jade summons the strength to move her frozen legs and bolts down the same hall that Tori was just carried down. She didn't realize that she had picked this particular hall until she came upon the first mass holding Tori up against the wall, perpendicular to the hall Jade was coming out of, with its enormous left hand. She could clearly see that it stood seven feet tall with grey fur covering its huge humanlike body. At her brief analysis she couldn't believe what she was seeing,

"_Werewolf…"_ She said in a low breath. Her astonishment turned to fear as she saw Tori mouthing the words _'Help me, Jade'_. Acting purely on instinct she grabbed her trademark scissors from her back pocket, charged at the beast, and drove them into its back. It howled in pain as it simultaneously turned to its right, toward Jade, and released Tori.

Halfway through its turn it stepped back as a very loud crack blasted through the hall, the noise forced Jade to grab her ears in pain. Tori was just now getting normal amounts of blood flowing back to her head and could barely hear the shot. Then an explosion blasted out a chunk of the beast's side sending the monster rolling down the hall behind it, Jade never took her eyes off the creature.

The beast was in pain and tried to find the one who caused its suffering, when it failed it turned its attention back to Jade. Despite the blood pouring out of its side the beast got up and leapt at her with its right hand outstretched, claws at maximum extension. Another shot resounded as its left shoulder bucked, unfortunately its momentum was too great and the claws fell toward the terrified goth.

Jade could clearly see the four five inch daggers driving right at her chest until a brunette flash obstructed her view, and then a frame smaller than her own crashed into her pushing them both almost completely out of the way. Tori screamed in pain as the claws slashed four half inch deep gouges into her back, she fell into Jade and they both collapsed onto the floor. Jade watched the wounds soak Tori's shirt in blood as she held her.

"Pull up her shirt." A large man dressed in olive drab expedition garb was now kneeling beside the girls. Jade just sat there in shock, continuing her terrified stare at Tori's blood.

"Pull up her shirt." He repeated calmly as he reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water and a small vial of a silvery liquid. Jade snapped out of it and pulled up Tori's shirt completely exposing the gushing wounds. He quickly mixed the silver liquid into the water bottle, shook it, and then dropped a lit match into it. The bottle erupted with green fire as the substance turned purple, at its return to its previous color he poured it on her open wounds. When the shining liquid touched Tori's raw flesh she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

The pain was intense; she didn't think she could stand it any longer. But it began to secede; the fiery burning was rapidly being replaced with a metallic cold. The only abnormal warmth she felt was from Jade hugging her tightly, she looked up at her and saw tears in her eyes,

"Are you crying, Jade?" Tori asks sweetly.

"…Yes." Jade responds trying in vain to fight back her tears.

"Is the fearsome Jade West crying over me?" She says with a smirk.

"You could have been killed…" She speaks softly, but quickly regains some of her tenacity,

"…And I wouldn't have been the one to do it."

"Let me see your hand." The man asks politely while extending his hand to Jade. She complies without even thinking about it, but quickly regretting her compliance as he slices her right palm with a long knife and applies the silvery solution.

Jade grabbed Tori's wrist with her other hand and squeezed with all her might as she screamed in agony. Then she too felt the relief of cold metal as the wound was covered in a thin layer of soft silver.

"Hurts don't it?" Tori asks rhetorically while smirking,

"You can let go now."

"Sorry…" She half apologizes, completely lost in the low sheen at the center of her palm. Gently she glides her right index finger over the glowing palm; the contact sends a shiver down her spine.

"Tingles, doesn't it?" The man asks kindly at the same time as he stands slinging his pack over his shoulder.

"…Yeah." She answers slowly. He extends both hands, one to each girl; they take them and are quickly standing.

"Who fired those shots earlier?" The question catches Jade off guard, it takes her a second to remember the woman who saved her,

"There was a woman…there's another one of them!" She starts talking swiftly, remembering what the woman had saved her from.

"Alright, here…" He pulls a very short barreled pistol grip pump shotgun from his right hip and tosses it to Tori. Who barely has time to bring up her forearms much less her hands, catches it on her forearms awkwardly. Without missing a beat he reaches behind his lower back, retrieves a handgun, and then tosses it to Jade,

"…The safety is on the back flip it and you're green." He indicates to Tori then to Jade,

"As for you the safety catch is on the side, flip it and you're ready to go. Now let's check on your friend."

He turns toward the hall, Jade had looked down when she spoke about the woman, and starts walking.

"Wait what are we supposed to do with these?" Tori asks innocently, fumbling to gain control of her firearm.

"Shoot anything that isn't human." He says calmly continuing his stride. They quickly follow not wanting to be left alone with the dead monster just a few feet away.

"But we don't know how to use these." Tori still nervous about holding the gun, her father had given her lectures on the dangers of firearms.

"It's simple, point the barrel at things you want to shoot and not at things you don't. They're not toys, but they might be the only thing that lets you see tomorrow. Beyond that squeeze the trigger to fire and you need to pump after each shot." He throws his right hand up indicating to Tori.

"Why does she get the shotgun?" Jade asks, a little jealous.

"She just seems like a shotgun kinda girl." He replies casually.

They arrive at the intersection with the woman leaning against the wall with three dead werewolves scattered across the floor. She was panting heavily with a hand on each knee, her sword in her left hand. Looking up she smiled at their approach,

"I'm glad…you're alright…and it looks like…you brought help." Still panting she forces the words out.

"No man left behind." Jade jokes, throwing up a half salute. The woman smiles and stands up,

"I'm Emily Grey."

"Tall Walker or Silver Fang?" He asks while reaching in his pack and pulling out two packs of unopened earplugs. He hands them to Tori and Jade as she answers,

"Silver Fang."

"Well girls, we're in the company of a professional werewolf hunter. I feel safer already." He smiles and extends his left hand to Emily,

"Charles T. Weston, Legion of Shadows." She shakes his hand vigorously and snaps a firm salute,

"I defer to you Captain." He continues in a strong, yet casual tone.

"Thank you my lord." During this exchange Tori and Jade look at them with bemusement. Emily notices this and clarifies somewhat,

"It's an Order thing; it would take too long to explain. Let's just say there's a lot more too hunting monsters than simply killing things." Tori and Jade look at each other and decide to drop it for now.

"How many have you killed?"

"Just these three. You?"

"Only one…That means there should be around six more."

"Six?" Jade and Tori blurt out simultaneously.

"Most packs contain a minimum of ten. Ten minus four equals six." She does the math on her fingers to illustrate her point.

"We can count." Jade counters sharply as her old self.

"Jade!" Tori scowls intensely.

"Tori." Jade answers sweetly.

"I take it those are your names." She says with mild amusement.

"I'm sorry, I'm Tori Vega and this is…" She blushes for forgetting her manners.

"Jade West." She says feigning laziness.

"Considering this school I'm assuming you can act, but that doesn't mean you have too. I won't tell anyone you have a heart." He says with a wicked grin.

"Well we certainly won't tell the werewolves, at least." Emily joins in.

Tori expects Jade to be fuming at being called out, instead she just laughs,

"Honestly the idea of being terrified right now and not having to try and hide it would feel nice." Tori looks at Jade and wonders,

"Who the hell are you? And where is Jade?" She says it a little louder than intended. Jade turns to face her,

"I like being the tough girl, the feared psycho, it's fun. But right now fearing for my life I think I would like to be Scared Jade." She says kindly, but then adds,

"But when this is over and we get out of here, I'm going back to Badass Jade. Okay?"

"I guess I don't have a choice, but at least you're being nice right now." She gets a little sappy at the end.

"Don't let it go to your head, Vega." Jade says casually with her trademark grin.

* * *

**AN: **Hope you enjoyed the first of many, please Review. I'm looking for complete honesty, which means criticism is welcome, but don't hesitate to be kind as well.

I will try to maintain a 2000 word or six page minimum for each chapter.


	2. Armed And Dangerous

**I'm releasing these together because I probably won't be able to post for a while. So enjoy the extras. **

"A professional, a veteran, and two untrained amateurs." Charles says in a powerful voice as he twists the ends of his copper colored mustache,

"Should we stay or should we go?" At that his PearPod recognizes the song with a very similar title and begins playing the song that contains said similar title. He quickly shuts if off, but can't help but laugh at how appropriate the song was for this scenario; if they stay the girls could be killed, if they go the remaining werewolves will kill others. His smile disappears as he draws his revolver and fires a shot seemingly at nothing.

Jade and Tori are cursing themselves for not having put in their earplugs, they scramble to do so. When they look up they see a dead werewolf just down the hall. Another crack resounds joined by three more from Emily's own revolver as three more werewolves charge up the hall, past their dead kin without slowing. Jade is frozen unable to summon the strength to raise her gun, unlike Tori who is already firing.

Her blood is surging throughout her entire body as she fires the first shot from the boomstick, her hold on the grip is so intense her knuckles are pale white. No thoughts run through her head as she pumps the gun purely on instinct, she keeps the gun focused on the nearest target as a single thought suddenly flashes in her mind…_'Survive!'_. Over and over that one thought guides her lethal instrument to the bare flesh of the monsters before her.

Jade watches her for only a brief second before she finds her own nerve and fires at the same beast Tori is unloading into. The goth grips the gun firmly with both hands, years of watching cop dramas has given her the instinct to hold the weapon properly. Her arms bear down on the gun with surprising strength, the gun stays on target after each shot.

Both girls only stop firing when they exhaust their ammunition. They look over at Charles motioning for them to take out their earplugs. They comply letting their weapons fall to one hand.

"You two alright?" Emily asks while removing her blade from the back of the beast at her feet.

"Yeah." Tori exhaling heavily.

"Just peachy." She arcs her back until she hears a satisfying crack.

"Okay, Peachy." Charles says with a smile as he begins to remove his pack from his large frame. Once he drops it to the floor he removes his olive drab vest, revealing multiple straps that crisscross his chest. After selecting very specific ones he slides off his special holster that normally contains the gun Jade is holding, with the slightest effort he tosses it to her. Upon catching the awkward accessory she swiftly adorns it and begins tightening the straps to fit her much smaller body. Then she ejects the spent clip and replaces it with a fresh one from one of the small slots on the holster's straps.

"Thank God for T.V.!" Charles exclaims with a huge grin. Jade looks at him and slyly states,

"I love crime dramas."

"More like obsessed." Tori chimes in after a bout of stretching and deep breathing. Charles had already removed his gun belt for the shotgun and now tosses it to Tori who catches it by the loop that holds the gun. She tries to tighten the belt but it's a little too big, so there is no hole for the catch to hold it.

Emily swaggers over and hands her a pocket knife, she looks at Charles before she is willing to accept it. He nods with a thin smile and she promptly takes the knife and creates a new hole in the belt. She secures the belt firmly and begins taking rounds from their small elastic bands across the belt. Holding the upside down gun firmly in her left hand she begins loading in each round.

"Six. Then pump it and add a seventh." Charles says while sliding his vest back on,

"That makes eight." Tori looks at him slightly confused, but then notices he has shifted his attention to the four dead werewolves adding to Emily's previous three, scattered about the intersection.

"Do you two want to stay and finish them off or should he take you home?" Emily asks flatly. Charles doesn't react; he just stands awaiting a response.

"I'm already armed why not just finish it. I mean there are only two left right?" Tori says with an uncharacteristically cocky tone.

"I'm with _Buffy_, let's fillet 'em." Jade with her own brand of cocky.

"Sounds like a party." Charles drawing a silver dagger with his left hand and tightening his grip on his freshly reloaded revolver.

The party of four cautiously moved down the hall that supplied the werewolves. Emily took point with Charles at her seven, Jade was a little further back at her five, and Tori was bringing up the rear with her thunder-making. Their footsteps were as silent as could be expected considering one gothicly dressed member of the group was wearing heavy black boots. They still moved somewhat stealthfully as they approached the Blackbox. However just before they could open the double doors a voice bellowed,

"Enter, if you would please. My pets are getting hungry. And I would hate to keep them waiting." Though his voice was loud it still held a well-mannered tone. Charles shook his head and spat,

"I hate vampire lords." He bypassed Emily and opened the door strolling forward very casually. Jade, Tori, and Emily followed hesitantly into the well lit room.

Surrounding the four in a semicircle were no fewer than twenty werewolves. At the center of this semicircle sitting in a chair just on stage was what seemed to be a man, on either side of him were two men glowing a slight green. The man's features were not particularly noteworthy, though he was generally handsome and his attire somewhat dated.

Slowly he rose from his seat and stepped forward only a foot before he bowed,

"It is a pleasure to meet you all." His voice now much lower in volume had a distinctive deep southern drawl.

"Interesting, a Cajun in California. Bit far west aren't ya'?" Charles countering with his own mild southern accent.

"Well my clan decided I should leave the nest, so to speak, and I figured why not 'Go West'."

"Which translates, his clan feared him and forced him as far west as they could." Charles directing his comment at his three silent companions. They were all content with letting Charles, who was displaying a disturbing calm, handle this new threat.

Emily was out of her element. Tori and Jade were guessing that he was the 'vampire lord' Charles had mentioned moments earlier. Without a word they had resolved not to disturb the legendary creature in any way, if even half the mythology of vampires was true they didn't want to think about what one of their lords was capable of.

"Unlike your _lovely_ young friends I can't smell even the tiniest drop of fear on you. I assume this isn't your first encounter with my kind." The monster's voice bore a vindictive venom as he motioned to the girls.

"Correct. Considering the number of werewolves enthralled to you I have to imagine you're quite the lord."

"Not only familiar with vampires, but also vampire lords. You are starting to become dangerous, _my prey_." Those last words dripped from his tongue like honey.

"Sorry, you're clawing at the wrong jugular. I prefer my vampires to be a bit less...dick-ish." Charles smiles coolly.

"Is that what they're for?" He sneers at the girls with disgust.

"No, they're…my security force. I'd watch out they can be fierce." Charles seems to be completely ignoring the werewolves as he continues his banter,

"Especially the dark haired one, she's insane. Killed a greyback with a pair of scissors." He throws back a thumb at Jade; she starts to feel a little blood flowing in her cheeks. She knew it wasn't true but the vampire didn't know that and that made her a little proud. With wide eyes she clenched her teeth and exposed a single canine to the southern bloodsucker; the smile this created seemed in deed psychotic. He flinched almost unnoticeable, almost.

Tori of all people catches the flinch and in an act of pure insanity decides to push him. She lazily brings her shotgun up to rest on her shoulder, yawns, and breaks her silence,

"Can we hurry this along I have other lords of the undead I have to kill before my evening bath. And frankly it's difficult enough getting mutt brains out of my hair when they are still moist, much less dry." She smiles smugly with her head cocked to the side. Charles keeps up the momentum with a light laugh,

"I wish she was kidding, but we do have other engagements. I'm sorry I have to cut our banter short, it's the only thing about vampires I actually like. But a schedule is a schedule." At this the vampire scoffs,

"I see your confidence has turned to arrogance. You really shouldn't lie especially to one who can smell the buckets of fear pouring out of you, little girl." Tori holds her pose fighting the urge to cower. To increase his agitation she rolls her eyes and yawns again. The lord simply laughs,

"I do like the commitment, if you weren't of the inferior gender I would save you for myself." Tori fights the urge to visible shudder at the thought of him any closer than he already is.

Jade loosens her psychotic grin and opts to strike for herself and her frienemy,

"It's not like you could handle **her** anyway. It would take someone with serious cahonas to control the Buckshot Bitch." She patted a hand on Tori's shoulder. Tori couldn't help but smile at Jade giving her a compliment.

"Or maybe I could just dress more gothicly." He smirked at Jade.

"Certainly couldn't hurt." Tori bulldozing past the innuendo shot him a Jade class sneer.

"Whatever, I tire of this pointless exchange." He rolls his eyes.

"Well then to the inevitable." Charles states with a sigh as he removes his pack and throws it to Tori. Jade catches his degraded vest, while he begins unhooking his revolver's holster,

"Consider this a parting gift." He slings his enormous revolver firmly in its holster to Emily,

"Careful it has some serious kick." He grins and continues to remove his equipment. The twin silver daggers across his back are the second to last to be thrown; Jade catches the strange chest harness that sheaths them. She slips it on followed by his vest, both articles dangle loosely on her smaller frame. She isn't sure why he's doing this but doesn't question him.

The last thing to be removed was his Legion of Shadows Medallion; he held it for a brief second before throwing it to Tori. She had already slung the pack and pocketed the small black knife covered in eccentric symbols he tossed earlier. Catching the weighted metal object she couldn't help but stare at the intricate inlay of ancient symbols surrounding a simple sword crossing a dagger with two blades.

"I know these aren't much of an amateur's starter kit, but I hope they keep you safe." He says while staring straight ahead,

"And if you need anything, my home has quite a bit of extra gear lying around. The address is in my wallet, it's in my vest." He now turns his attention away from the young girls to Emily,

"Make sure they get home safe. Now go." He takes a single step forward removing his shirt.

"I'm afraid they aren't going anywhere, except the digestive tracts of my pets." He laughs at his own poor joke. But before he can signal his troops to attack, the sound of bones cracking, popping, twisting, and resetting commands absolute attention from everyone and everything still in the room.

Every bone in Charles's body had grown longer and thicker inside his expanding flesh. His stature boosted to nine feet in only a matter of seconds. His rough tanned skin became vastly denser scales as it shifts to a dark green hue. Fingernails and the bone beneath fuse into thick, sharp claws as his fingers elongate wrapped in his new skin. Expansion also claims his head as it is garnished by seven six inch long bladed horns arranged in a crown around his newly reptilian skull fitted with bright orange eyes. Splitting down to his throat his lower jaw is now a fierce tri-piece complete with rows of razor-sharp teeth and protruding fangs. Without question the twelve foot long light bone-plated, two foot blade tipped tail that is now swinging behind him is the most shocking part of this transformation. The metamorphosis is complete once his legs adjust to their new three toed feet and ankle blade.

If Emily hadn't already grabbed the girls and forced them out of the room they would have been frozen by the sight. They were moving quickly; every time they looked back Emily would push them to go faster. They had made it to the parking lot in record time and nothing had followed them, looking back they could hear the pained cries of the grey beasts.

"What the hell is happening back there?" Jade panting lightly with considerable confusion splashed across her face.

"A massacre." Emily answered coldly.

"Shouldn't we help him?" Tori inquires with panic and concern.

"A vampire lord is an incredible beast of destruction, they are almost impossible to kill. We wouldn't stand a chance."

"But Charles…" Tori's panic and concern growing exponentially.

"He's…not what you think he is." Emily turns away from them hiding her face.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jade now very annoyed.

"When I was young, my bedtime stories were filled with the tales of Sir Charles Weston, the lord of shadows. He is the greatest hunter in countless generations; his exploits rival those of Perseus and Hercules."

"So he's such an amazing hunter, he doesn't need us." Tori asks even more confused. Ignoring her Emily continues,

"One of my favorite stories was The Battle of Nine Rivers; Sir Charles Weston led the sixth legion against three vampire lords and their united army. His forces were outnumbered ten to one, surrounded, and backed up against Lake Awwaria. They were dead, until Charles rallied them and countered, breaking the enemy line and scattering the bulk of their forces." Jade grows impatient of the point of this story,

"Your point?"

"That battle was fought in 1883." She stares at them somberly.

"1883?" Tori nearing her maximum level of possible confusion.

"Sir Weston was fighting monsters before your grandparents were even born. I have no idea what he really is, but I know he is incredibly dangerous and a dreadfully powerful ally."

Jade and Tori simply stare back at the school as it falls completely silent.

**One more for fun.**


	3. Blood, Dreams, and Venom

**One last little bonus just for you guys.**

The doors to the Blackbox close after the departure of Emily, Tori, and Jade. Charles stands firm in his new body blocking the exit. In the low rumble that makes up his new voice he growls,

"I would completely forget about them if I were you. You have more pressing concerns at hand." Flexing both clawed hands he resets his footing.

"I had intended on capturing a squad of Silver Fang hunters and a feast of children. But I suppose the Head of the Legion of Shadows is certainly a nice consolation prize." The lord didn't break his calm demeanor as he snapped his fingers. At this action two of the ghouls, one from either side, stepped forward.

Their skin exploded off of them revealing two figures dressed in red robes with black cloth wrapped around their hands and faces. They began dancing their fingers in the air summoning a low magenta light between their hands. Then in a flash two bolts of magenta lightning, one from each figure, arced outward, one caught Charles's left forearm and the other his right. He couldn't move either arm in the slightest.

"I would think so. Unfortunately, I'm not captured yet." As soon as the last word was spoken his tail whipped across the front of his body, a spray of blood filled the air. Charles charged forward, leaving his severed limbs floating in midair. Several feet in front of the lord he stopped and pivoted sending his long lethal tail arcing across the stage, at the last second the lord leapt back barely avoiding the grim fate of his Dark Mages. Both mages dropped to the ground breaking their spells releasing Charles's arms to fall as lifelessly as the mages and four werewolves who had been standing too close.

Charles completed his 360°rotation and leapt right at the vampire lord still in midair, with no way to maneuver he felt the impact of Charles's horns impaling his chest. Upon landing Charles slung the lord off his horns, across the floor. The lord tumbled until he regained himself and stood just in time to see a werewolf try to stand between him and Charles, the effort was futile as the beast's head was quickly crushed against the floor by a massive foot. As Charles brought down his full weight on the creature he spun himself once more, this time his bladed tail found its intended target.

The once great vampire lord couldn't feel his legs or arms; he could no longer feel cold blood surging in his neck. All the lord could feel was a deep black emptiness as he watched his headless body slump to the ground as he sailed through the air, finally resting several feet away. The dread that engulfed his last thoughts faded as a truly eternal peace embraced him…'_It's so warm_'.

Charles quickly dispatched the fifteen remaining werewolves before scooping up his severed arms and resetting them to their respective numbs with his tail.

"_Nasrei a diea megiad cal theui Bastiur._" He spoke these ancient words softly. Within moments several cords of muscle in his arms reattached, but nowhere near enough to support the weight of his arms without his tail to brace them. He looked around at the carnage,

"_Arisai kolumbatum minsef eturnietum._" At these words the corpses throughout the entire school turned to dust.

He carefully walked over to the nearest corner and turned to face the stage, not putting any unnecessary stress on his still bleeding limbs. Now facing the stage from the right of the entrance several feet from either wall, looking much like an audience member, he spoke one last time,

"_Lestas diea petraiseicase dolrumme Madra." _With these words he releases his arms and strikes a fearsome pose as his body is turned to an incredibly hard black stone resembling marble.

After Tori and Jade had decided to stow their new hunting gear in the trunk of Jade's car, Emily followed Jade and Tori's cars to the Vega residence. After ensuring that she was home safe she would follow Jade home. But before she could leave,

"Don't worry if I find out anything I'll get in touch with you." She shouts, from inside her car on the street, to Tori as she walks to the front door of her home.

"Okay." Is all she can muster, still processing what Emily had told her. She waves to Jade and heads inside.

Arriving at the West home Emily gives Jade a similar message, only the reply isn't the same,

"Yeah whatever." Jade rushes to the door. Emily could've said something, but decided to let her deal with it herself. She knew that this girl had fire which meant an argument and wasted time and she had something more important to attend to. She sped away leaving the girls to deal with their thoughts.

When Tori walked through the front door she was greeted by a clock chiming eleven. Silently she walked to the refrigerator, grabbed a bottle of water, and headed up the stairs. After a few swigs she headed to the shower, as she stated earlier there was foreign organic matter in her hair, just not mutt brains.

The warm water washing over her did release some of her stored tension and helped put some of her racing thoughts out of mind. But when she ran her fingers over her silver wounds too many surged forth; the realization of monsters being real held precedence. Charles, the man who saved both her and Jade twice, was over a hundred years old and probably was a monster himself. Regardless of his species he still saved her and he might be dead. Should she tell her friends, family, everyone, or no one? Then there was a tiny part at the back of her brain that was wondering how Jade was handling all of this.

Upon finishing her shower she returned to her room prepared for bed and just laid there awaiting the calm of sleep. It took hours of restlessly pushing thoughts from her head before she finally sank into a fleeting slumber.

Jade slipped up the stairs to her room far more quietly than through the halls of the school. Once there she dropped herself on her bed and simply stared into nothing while her thoughts poured over her. Monsters were real, Charles was dead, Emily was a bitch, and Tori saved her life. Well it wasn't that simple; Emily wasn't a bitch, she just wasn't good at Intro to Monster Hunting 101. Charles is over a hundred and seemed a lot tougher than twenty werewolves, so he **might** be alive. Monsters were real, well that was simple. But Tori saving her life that was more of a flash of reality than complication or simplicity.

Tori had put herself in danger and almost died saving her life. She was the only reason that Jade West still existed. Scratch that all of them had saved her; if it were just her there she would already be werewolf shit.

Jade was tough in school, but against unholy beasts she was a child, a scared little child. But not Tori; she jumped right into the fray, she didn't hesitate to start shooting or push her out of the way, and she was strong, far stronger than she had ever given her credit for.

Jade began to get angry at herself for her weakness. Just then as the angry was welling up she reached for her missing scissors, '_Help me, Jade'_ that silent plea echoed across her mind. She saved Tori, she wasn't a coward. Jade West wasn't helpless she just needed motivation.

However her new found joy died when she realized that Tori was her motivation. A battery of new thoughts filled her brain;

"_What the Hell? When she was taken I gave chase and attacked a Werewolf with a pair of scissors to save her._ _I couldn't shoot without her shooting. Against the Vampire Lord I was silent until she spoke. What the Hell?"_

Eventually an answer found its way to Jade; in actual danger her and Tori were friends, not enemies not frienemies, but actual friends. They could rely on each other to watch their respective backs. Despite the cruelty, the humiliation, and the condescension Tori was there for her when she needed her; Tori was the pinnacle of a true friend and in a pinch Jade was a diehard friend, even to Tori.

This change in thinking eased Jade's edgy mind enough for her to fall into a long comfortable sleep.

Two hours of sleep was all Tori could afford as she forced herself out of bed and got ready for the day ahead. Not wanting people to think she was crazy, she decided not to tell anyone about her late night extracurricular. Instead she put on a brave face and soldiered on as normal non-werewolf slaying Tori.

At her locker she kept yawning as Andre strolled up,

"Morn'in…Seeping Beauty." He chose the nickname after noticing the bags under her eyes.

"Morn'….in" Another yawn interrupted her.

"What happened to you?"

"Late night. Someone didn't tell me the brainstorming was cancelled." She glared at him intensely.

"So…you stayed here all night?"

"No, but I did wait around a lot longer than I should have." She answered sharply,

"I'm sorry, I'm just a little tired."

"It's okay. No problem."

Jade had slept really well and was in a rare good mood, when she sauntered up to Andre and Tori. Seeing Tori's face she handed her her coffee,

"Here, you need this more than me." Tori was too tired to question either the kindness or the possibility of more garbage coffee. She accepted it and chugged the hot liquid, not regretting the heat she smiled,

"Thanks Jade."

"Don't mention it. I'm serious, don't tell anyone, either of you." She pointed at Tori then Andre before she started to walk away. But before she could Cat and Robbie ran up,

"Did you guys see the statue in the Blackbox?" Robbie asks enthusiastically.

"It's scary!" Cat adds terrified.

"What statue?" Andre asks calmly.

"There's this huge black statue of a monster in the Blackbox."

"Is it a werewolf?" Tori, now more awake because of Jade's extra strong coffee, inquires while thinking about the hairy beasts. Jade shoots her a 'what, are you high?' glare.

"What? No. What?" Robbie questions confused.

"Last night was a full moon, Halloween is a few weeks away, and Sikowitz is…well Sikowitz. So I just figured Werewolf." Everyone was easily swayed by Tori's logic.

"Girl's got a point, that hippie ain't right." Rex agreeing strongly.

"Oh…no it's some kind of dragon like thing." Robbie recovering from his daze,

"Come on, it's pretty cool." Robbie heads off back to the theater. They all follow without protest. Jade is kind of interested in seeing a fake monster, instead of the blood thirsty kind. Tori is just happy to finally be waking up.

"Hey, Jade what's with the handkerchief around your hand." Andre had just noticed the red accessory wrapped around Jade's right palm and tied at the back.

"Cut myself." She says coolly.

"That's what you get when you play with scissors. Maybe you should consider safety sci…" Tori stabbing smoothly.

"Don't finish that, unless you want a matching one." Jade throws her a typical glare.

They arrive at the theater shortly after.

"He's right, beast is fierce." Andre, the first to comment on the black dragonoid staring them down from his nine foot eye level.

"Where are his wings?" Jade asks while circling the statue.

"What?" Robbie again confused.

"You said he was a dragon, dragons have wings. Where are his wings?" Now staring at Robbie, Jade's tongue is sharper than usual.

"I didn't say he was a dragon, I said dragon like thing."

"He still looks dragonic, Jade." Tori helping the frightened puppeteer.

"I didn't ask you, Vega." She dulls her tongue somewhat. Tori's recently realized sharp perception catches the slight shift,

"Well I answered. Maybe it's a weredragon?" Tori standing her ground with knowledge of Jade's soft underbelly. Jade knows what Tori's doing and can't let it slide,

"Weredragon?" She asks smugly.

"Yeah like a werewolf except with a dragon instead of a wolf." Jade feels kind of dumb at the simplicity of the explanation. However she stands her ground and bites back,

"But where are the wings? What kind of dragon doesn't have wings?"

"The weredragon kind." Tori answers smugly. Andre stands between the girls, who are now staring each other down. He interrupts the argument as well with a somber question,

"You guys know it's just a statue, right?" Both girls feel embarrassed by the intensity of the argument over a mythological being, of course that made them wonder whether dragons were real or not.

"It's a philosophical argument on the proper form of the classical mythological beast…" Jade states in a confident condescending tone.

"…And its interpretation through this wingless statue." Tori finishes Jade's defense of their argument in the exact same tone.

Andre, Robbie, Rex, and Cat, who was cowering behind Robbie, are dumbstruck as they simply stare at the two girls now standing side by side facing Andre. They aren't sure what's more surprising; Tori finishing Jade's sentence and her not attacking Tori or them uniting against Andre for interrupting their argument.

"Sorry, I thought Jade was going to attack you." Andre says timidly.

"For what, we were just having a nice **friendly** debate." Jade retorts with a wicked smile.

"Thanks for the concern, Andre. But I can handle Jade." Jokingly she puts up her dukes.

"Really?" With a sly smile and a raised eyebrow Jade inquires turning to face Tori only a foot away.

"Yeah, considering **all** things. I think I can hold my own against you." Tori holds her ground. Jade knows exactly what the 'all' was referring to and decides to let it end in a draw,

"Maybe you could, Vega. _But I have the keys to my trunk._" Jade lets the last words fall too softly for anyone except Tori to hear.

During the entire exchange neither girl got angry, they argued with passion, that both rather enjoyed.

"There is nothing like a good verbal fight scene, if we were in class you would both get an A." Sikowitz now joins his students after relishing the dispute,

"On second thought you do get an A, just remind me when we do verbal fight scenes. It's not just arguing it's controlled emotion while still conveying the emotion of out-of-control." All this is said as he limps with his broken toe. Tori and Jade saw him limping and holding his signature coconut with both hands and figured he finally dropped one on his foot, which explained his absence from the school last night.

"What?" Robbie getting the feeling he's going to be confused for most of the day.

"I'll explain later in class."

"Where did the statue come from?" Tori very intrigued by the stone figure.

"What? Oh…right, the statue. It was a gift from a patron of the arts. Charles Weaton…no Waltan…no Westerson….no…"

"Weston?" Jade cuts into Sikowitz's babble tersely.

"Yeah that was it, Weston. He donated it for the Halloween production. It's quite scary isn't it?" He stands there stroking his chin as he stares at the statue, his coconut being held away from his body with his other hand.

"How did you know it was Weston, I've never heard of him?" Andre looks at Jade with a curious stare.

"I read an article on him in Blades Monthly. He's a world class fencer who loves the work of up and coming artist. Hard to get more up and coming than a school for the arts, right?"

"Blades Monthly?" Tori asks, regretting it the moment it fell off her lips.

"For all things sharp and deadly." Jade replies with a gently arched eyebrow as she emphasizes the last words with sweet venom.

Immediately Tori imagines Jade wielding various bladed instruments; ranging from oversized scissors to the Grim Reaper's scythe. The thought sent shivers down her spine…and not the good kind.

**Insert Review now. **


	4. Hunting A Man Named Weston

**AN:** This is rather surprising because now it seems that my crappy connection actual allows me to post new chapters, but not new stories or reviews...

So enjoy this one little extra chapter, as celebration for the joy of this new discovery.

Warning: this chapter does get a bit more...sexy-ish?

* * *

Throughout the day Jade and Tori continued their frienemy stasis with a light dose of friendly undertones; to all but their friends they seemed perfectly normal. Consequently when school ended their friends confronted them in the parking lot.

"What's with you two today?" Beck asks with concern.

"What are you babbling about?" Jade answers as her normal self.

"You two have been acting…different." Robbie with his own concern.

"That's a great job clarifying, Pinocchio."

"Hey!" Robbie very hurt by this particular puppet reference.

"Be nice Jade." Tori scolds.

"Or what?" Jade turns her fire on Tori.

"I won't push you out of the way the next time a werewolf wants a bite of Jade." Tori says smugly while crossing her arms, seeing the horror in Jade's eyes.

"…you know you can't resist saving people, even me." Jade hatches an idea and keeps things going with a sly smile only Tori can see.

"I hate you." Tori pouts a little.

"I love you too." Jade says sweetly.

"I know. Wanta' have rough lesbian sex?" Looking up with a hungry expression on her face while licking her lips, she wraps her arms around the goth's waist, pulling her closer. Tori got the message loud and clear.

"I've been waiting all day." Jade places one hand on Tori's hip and the other on her face moving in closer about to seal a slow kiss.

"Psych!" They separate and turn to everyone, whose jaws had been sweeping the parking lot. They remain silent while regaining themselves.

"You should see your faces. Priceless." Jade clapping her hands while laughing, Tori is bent over Jade's car laughing uncontrollably.

"What…was that?" Beck still a little stunned at the exchange.

"That was masterful improv. Try it some time." Jade retorts with an arrogant smile.

"What?" Beck still in shock.

"We just blew your minds with mad skillz." Tori chimes in with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Don't say that." Jade scolds her harshly.

"Okay." Tori gently agreeing.

"'Rough Lesbian Sex', I was thinking maybe just making out. You have a dirty mind." Jade looking mildly surprised, looked back to Tori.

"I was going for the maximum shock factor, so I said the most shocking thing I could think of." Tori defending her choice of scandalous activity for their bit.

"You think about rough lesbian sex?" With an arched eyebrow Jade inquires playfully.

"Yes, all the time." Tori returns sarcastically.

"Wait, so you guys are just kidding about everything?" Andre scratching his head.

"That's what 'Psych' means. We're not gay and there are no werewolves." Jade looks at him with the most obvious 'duh' look on her face.

"Well yeah…but that wasn't funny." Andre feeling a bit stupid.

"Oh, but it was. Right Tori?" Jade doesn't realize what she just said until it's too late.

"Yeah, West." Tori covers her by feigning the continuation of their bit. Jade smiles out of the corner of her mouth, thanking her.

"This is exactly what we were talking about, what is going on with you two? You're acting all buddy-buddy, like real friends." Beck again representing the group.

"It was fun messing with Vega while it lasted, but it was getting boring and I hate boring. So I sat down and realized it would be more fun to start messing with other people using our frienemy status. And it delivered in spades." Jade laughs lightly and smiles a big happy grin, for her anyway.

"So you get bored and decide to be friends with Tori to mess with people?" Beck knew the answer but had to ask.

"She's still Jade, have you met Jade?" Tori waves her hands down Jade, like she's revealing a game show prize.

"Point taken." With that, all their friends had decided that this was indeed classic Jade. They decide amongst themselves that it was nice to see them getting along, despite the fact that they would be expecting more of this _**good humor**_ from them.

The group finally disbanded with Jade kissing Beck as he departed, leaving Tori and Jade.

"Did you really think I wanted him?" Tori asking after witnessing the sweet display of affection.

"Well honestly, yes." Jade now returning to the ironically softer Werewolf Hunting Jade,

"He's sexy, kind and an all-around amazing guy, so if you didn't want him I would be concerned." Jade and Tori are now sitting on the trunk of Jade's car.

"But he's your boyfriend, I would never…" Tori turns to her with sincerity in her eyes.

"I know. But jealousy is just part of who I am." Jade is much softer in tone than she ever has been with anyone. That makes her uncomfortable, but she knows it's just a natural release of her emotions after everything that has happened.

"Jealousy is for the insecure and you're incredibly strong; you believe in who you are." Tori very encouraging.

"Okay, _Dr. Phil_. …I'm tough but still he is amazing and I'm grateful that he's with me, but sometimes I see him with certain girls and wonder; would he be happier with them?" Tears are forming in the corners of her eyes. She lets the emotions flow to get rid of them. Why bottle them up now, Tori had already seen her truly be vulnerable and the sooner this was done, the sooner it would be out of the way.

"He's with you isn't he? That speaks volumes about who makes him happy." Assuming a psychologist's kind of demeanor.

"You should have a show on T.V., Doc Vega." Jade replaces forming tears with a smile and light laugh.

"You think?" She places her index finger on her chin as she stares up into the sky.

"Well you're making me feel better."

"That's what friends do." Jade feels kind of like an idiot for not remembering that.

"Okay this is getting to mushy for me, let's go see Weston." Jade hopes off the car.

"What?" Tori cocks her head in confusion.

"Well if he donated a statue he must have survived and probably wants his stuff back." Jade states flatly returning more to normal Jade. Tori nods in agreement.

"I'll open the trunk, you get the vest." Jade states as she rounds the car heading for the driver side. Tori approves and hopes down,

"And grab the other stuff too."

"Why?" Tori looks around the car to Jade getting into the car.

"Well I want to wear my handgun one last time before I have to return it."

"Fine." Tori grabs the duffle bag containing the equipment, closes the trunk and gets in Jade's car.

Tori proceeds to pull out the vest and rifle through it for the wallet, while Jade reaches in the bag and grabs the handgun and its odd holster. She slides it on, tightens it, and puts on a jacket to hide it from any cops in case they stop her. Tori finds the wallet,

"Dogwood Drive."

"That's two blocks from my house." Jade a little surprised.

"Well then, at least we know the way."

The girls pull out of the parking lot, suburb bound.

After only a short drive they find themselves in front of an average white two story suburban home with cherry red framework.

"You sure this is it? It doesn't feel like a monster hunter's house." Jade a bit uneasy.

"What do you want, a stuffed werewolf out front." It seems like the two switched roles.

"Couldn't hurt. It just feels too common and Charles seemed anything but." Jade squints at the house trying to see inside from the curb.

"I know what you mean, but we really didn't know Charles so he might be suburban average in public."

"But where did he get the money for that incredibly expensive looking statue?" Jade is making herself more edgy.

"Maybe he made it?" Now Tori is uneasy.

"Then why would his house look like this, especially with Halloween around the corner?"

"Should we just leave?" Fear starting to radiate in her eyes.

"Grow a pair, Vega. I'm heading in." Jade bites at Tori before she steps out of the car and heads to the house. Roles reversed back to normal.

"Jade…wait I'm coming." Tori scrambles out of the car behind her.

"You can wait in the car if you want, Vega." Jade doesn't look back as she continues walking.

"But I have the other stuff." Tori's announcement stops Jade in her tracks.

Tori catches up luging the duffle to the door, Jade rings the doorbell.

A young man in his twenties opens the door with a rushed expression on his face,

"Can I help you?"

"Um, is this the residence of Mr. Weston?" Jade asks a bit surprised.

"No, I'm Dan I rent this house from Mr. Weston."

"Could you please tell us where he lives? We need to return this." Tori asks while holding up the duffle.

"Ah..um…sure, give me a second I'll right down the directions." He heads back inside.

"I've got GPS, just tell me the address." Jade speaking loudly.

"Afraid GPS won't do you any good, Mr. Weston likes his privacy. If you put the address in, it will tell you 'address not found'. Isn't on **Google Maps** either, just a big grey blob." Dan comes back with the address and directions handing them to Jade.

"Thanks, Dan." Tori smiles as she turns.

"Yeah, thanks." Halfheartedly Jade waves as she turns toward her car.

"No, problem."

He waves as they pull away,

"I wonder why his address says that place if he lives somewhere else."

"Why didn't you ask him?" Jade focusing straight ahead.

"It felt like a weird question, plus he seemed like he was busy." Tori looking at the directions Jade just handed her.

"Jade these directions say he lives an hour outside of LA."

"Damn, he does like his privacy. Well if you want me to drop you off. I can take the stuff."

"And keep it for yourself?"

"I'm hurt." Jade fakes a pout, then adds,

"But yeah."

"I'll stick with you. Just let me tell my family, I'll be a little late for dinner." The brunette grabs her phone.

"We can just get something on the way?" Jade asks casually.

"Really? You'd buy me dinner?" Tori in a teasing tone.

"No, but we can stop for some food." She keeps a casual tone.

"Okay, but I still have to make the call." Tori scrolls down to her mother's cell number,

"Hi, mom."

"Hey, Tori. Where are you? Trina said you got a ride from Jade." Her mother a little concerned.

"Yeah, we went to thank someone for donating something to the school."

"Well, that's nice of you and Jade. Trina says she's a bit mean."

"She can be on the outside, but once you get to know her, she's a good friend."

"Well, good. So how did the thank you go?" Her concerns alleviated.

"Well, we got the wrong address, so it seems it's going to take a little longer than expected."

"Oh, how much longer?"

"A couple hours, is that alright?"

"Of course, I trust you and you're with a friend doing a nice thing. What about dinner?"

"We were going to grab a bite after."

"Okay, have fun. Love you honey."

"Love you mom." Tori looks over to see Jade looking at her out of one eye.

"What?"

"Your mom is loud."

"You heard that?"

"Yeah, good friend." She says sarcastically and sincerely at the same time, the emotions conflict and sarcasm wins.

"I am aren't I?" Tori decides to accept sincerity as the victor.

Jade shakes her head as she returns her full attention back to the road,

"Yeah, you are."

"Awee…"

"No, sickening sweetness in this car. I don't want to barf." Jade with old venom.

"Fine." Tori crosses her arms and looks straight ahead.

* * *

**Your reviews are all the cookies I need, so don't stop feeding me now.**

**P.s. the next release will take a little while...because I don't want to spoil you guys...too much Heheheh :)**


	5. Dusk Delight

**AN:** I do have a few chapters saved up, but I really don't want to release them because I really haven't been writing too much on this story lately (Writer's Block sucks major arse)...but this is one of my favorite chapters and well...here enjoy.

* * *

Tori sits in the front seat of Jade's car enjoying the warm autumn air as they leave LA and head into the country. Resting her head on her arm, which is laying on the door, she stares out at the multicolored leaves covering the ground. Appreciating the light Metal Jade had playing, she almost forgets the reason they are driving out there, until Jade breaks the silence,

"So what's inside the pack?" She glances over at the bag on Tori's lap.

"What pack?"

"The pack Weston gave you, we never looked in it."

"I don't know, I 'never looked in it'" She hits Jade with a playfully toxic smirk. Jade feels dumb.

"Right,…So look." Countering with a sharp bite. Tori stares at her, sighs, and gives in begrudgingly,

"Alright." Tori unzips the duffle bag and pulls out the olive drab pack. Unlatching the buckle she glides her slender fingers into the pack carefully and pulls out a book,

"A book?" A bit surprised, half expecting more weapons.

"Looks old. Maybe a monster hunter's guide?" Jade noticing out of the corner of her eye the aged leather bound tome.

"If it is I can't read it, all the words are in some kind of script." Tori flips through the pages covered in ancient symbols,

"Wait there are words in the back…but they're in another language." Her eyes intensely concentrate on a distinct set of the strange words,

"_Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas_." Without warning a flash of green fire erupts in front of her in midair, it's gone almost as soon as it appears. Startled Jade swerves harshly back into her lane, luckily they were alone on this stretch of road. After regaining control,

"What the hell was that, Vega?" Jade breathing heavy with panic across her face.

"I don't know, I just read from the book…then fire. It appeared like…" Tori was pretty freaked.

"Magic! That's a spellbook." Wide-eyed, Jade looked over at the spellcaster.

"So I just summoned fire." With growing pride looking at Jade.

"Don't summon any more, I like my car and body not charred." Jade bit sharply.

"I won't." Tori looked down.

"In fact put the book away."

"Really, you don't want to be Wicked Witch West?" Tori's teasing grin returns.

"Yes, however I don't want to be Goblin West, or Zombie West, and certainly not Dead West. You have no idea what kinds of spells are in that book and not reading them out loud at random seems like a Good Witch Vega kind of thing."

"I like the sound of that, Good Witch Vega." GWV smiling.

"But could you write down that spell, it seemed like fun." Serious Jade disappears in favor of Mischievous Jade.

"Already done." Tori holds up her phone revealing the spell.

"Maybe it's Semi-Good Witch Vega." Fitting a light smile Jade completely focuses on the road ahead.

Tori laughs lightly before carefully putting the book back in the pack. She decides to leave the pack's remaining contents alone and puts it back in the duffle.

The setting sun warms Jade's face for the last time that day before it slips down over the coast. She relishes the orange glow filling the air as it fades all too quickly; she flips on the high beams as darkness descends. The drive was peaceful, the music was great, and the company was comfortable. They had sat there for over an hour in harmony, just enjoying the tunes, sunset, and the feel of the car gently cruising. Jade had completely forgotten about their mission,

"Jade the turn is up ahead." The voice of the sun-kissed spellcaster had caught her off guard so she simply nodded in acknowledgement.

"We should take drives more often." Not really thinking.

"Yeah, it's nice." Tori understood how nice it was to drive with a friend on a beautiful day,

"I'm still going to kill Dan."

"Why?" Jade starting to come out of her dusk daze.

"We've…you've been driving for almost two hours, not one." Tori was agitated.

"Well we could turn around and hunt him down. I'll hold him while you murder away." Jade jokingly with a smile.

"Maybe." She had this ridiculous half serious look on her face. Jade couldn't help but laugh.

"Here's the turn." Jade follows Tori's instruction.

The road leads up to a large iron barred gate decorated with twin Eastern dragons meeting where the gates separates.

"Looks right so far." Jade relieved by the dragonic ornamentation. The gate opens automatically.

"He must be in." Tori looking over at Jade.

They drive up the winding road flanked by high shrubs and low trees. Eventually they emerge to the sight of a towering nineteenth century stonework manor adorned with a sea of ivy. Thanks to a crystal clear sky and rather full moon the abode was fairly visible.

"Holy crap!" Tori can't contain her shock at the mammoth of a home.

"You didn't cast a transportation spell did you?"

"No, why?" The spellcaster can't look away.

"Because it looks like an English manor."

"I know it's beautiful. Imagine it in the day."

"Or at sunset." Remembering the gorgeous orange glow of the sunset.

They tear themselves away from the stunning view and walk up the wide stairs to the front double doors.

"Look at the symbols, they're the same as in the book." Tori runs her fingers over the marks on the heavy oak and iron doors.

"Maybe a protective ward?"

"Could be. Look, knockers." Tori turning her attention to the large iron door knockers on the doors.

"Are you sure you're not gay?" Jade sees what she's indicating but can't help herself.

"Not those knockers, the door kind." Tori grabs one and slams it on the door with a loud bang.

There is no answer, several minutes later Jade grabs the other knocker and slams it many times harder.

Still no answer, they wait a few minutes more,

"Now what?"

"Check the vest for a key."

"We can't, he might be busy. We should come back later."

"Vega, I've burned up two hours getting here and will burn up another two getting back. We're going in and returning this stuff." Jade is sharp and serious. She glares at the spellcaster.

Tori folds, she reaches in the bag, grabs the vest and hands it to the goth. Jade accepts it and retrieves the wallet from the inside pocket. Inside was a key, she slides it out and into one of the locks. With a quick turn the lock clicks and she opens the doors.

As they step inside the Foyer lights flicker on, illuminating the extravagant room. The floors are black marble inlayed with more symbols. Brazilian cherry planks make up the walls decorated with landscape oil paintings. Several small dark wood desk-tables line the walls. Twin iron coat racks scrolled with gold flank the girls just inside the entrance. On either side of the three doorways leading to the rest of the house are suits of silver armor decorated with gunstock scrollwork with each holding a massive iron sword.

"I think Weston's loaded." Tori whistles lightly.

"You didn't get that outside?" Jades cutting tongue.

"Should we take off our shoes?" Tori asks tentatively.

"Why?" Jade stares at her.

"Look down." The spellcastor is staring at the pitch black floor.

"No, I don't see his shoes, so why should we? Besides there's a sign." Jade motions to a sign made of carved driftwood with words written in calligraphy. Tori turns to the sign and reads aloud,

"'Please keep shoes on'. Well that takes care of that."

"It's not like I would've taken my shoes off anyway." Jade walks forward to the intersection of the doorways.

"I know." Tori follows,

"Mr. Weston? Are you here?" Yelling.

"If he couldn't hear the loud banging of the knockers, what makes you think he can hear your voice?" Jade glares at her shifting her weight on one foot.

"So should we run through this house searching ever single room for him?" Tori only half joking.

"Yes, you do that, I'm heading for the kitchen."

"You're going to raid his frig?"

"I told you we should have gotten something before we got here." Without letting Tori counter she picks a direction at random and heads off. Tori trails after her.

Choosing the right doorway, they end up in a large well-lit den filled with tan upholstered antique chairs and oak end tables and shelves. The color scheme from the entry hall continued; the floors were also black marble, the walls cherry planks, and there were more suits of armor dotting the walls. However there was also a large brink fireplace at the center of the wall opposite the large bay window draped with heavy tan curtains looking out at the drive. Above the fireplace was a portrait of Charles in a Union army uniform, he bore the rank of Captain.

"You think that he served in the Civil War?" Tori was standing at the center of a massive area rug in the center of the room, that kept the furniture from scuffing the marble, looking up at the portrait,

"Looks old."

"So's the man it portrays." Jade joins her stare.

"Jade, look." Tori has shifted her attention to a photo on the portrait's left. The antique picture captures fifty Union soldiers most of whom are of African ancestry surrounding Charles, all had a genuine smile on their faces while standing at attention.

"Wow, I guess he did serve in the Civil War." Tori answering her earlier question.

"In a multi-racial unit. That's…"

"Wow."

"Yeah." They break their stare and look at some of the other pictures and portraits that decorate the room; some of him in various uniforms from different wars, others of his units and historical figures. Tori is particularly drawn to a photo of him shaking hands with Albert Einstein. Jade on the other hand finds a wall with pictures of Weston with every President of the United States starting with Lincoln and ending with Obama. Tori joins her in carefully observing each of the presidents, taking special notice of the Roosevelts and Kennedy. When they get to the Obama photo they notice that the same picture of Weston and his Union company is in the background. At the bottom of the picture is a gold plaque that states:

**"Men are finally becoming equal." **They read it aloud in unison.

"Shit... he's impossible." Jade turning around, taking in the whole room and all of the extraordinary people this one man has met.

"No kidding." Tori mirrors Jade's tone and state of awe.

"I can't handle any more of this; I'm getting something to eat, leaving the stuff, and going home." Jade proceeds to the other doorway in the room and heads through. Tori doesn't protest as she quickly follows, but not before taking one last look at the room.

The next room is an elegant dining room, which Jade advances through without taking it in. She indeed can't handle anymore of Charles's grandeur. Tori decides not to dawdle, not wanting to lose Jade in this monster of a house.

The next room is the refined kitchen, which processes the opposite design of the previous rooms; the floors and counter tops are white marble, the appliances look like next year's models, and the room is completely devoid of anything older than 2000, with the exception of the marble. The only photos are of food.

"Well that helps a little." Jade doesn't listen to Tori as she opens the frig and rummages around inside.

Tori sits at the island in the center of the room on a light orange upholstered steel stool. Jade comes out of the frig with several lunch meats, cheeses, and condiments. She lays them on the island and searches for the bread, after she retrieves it they proceed to make sandwiches.

"This is amazing ham, it so succulent." Tori with half a mouthful of delicious ham.

"That's Redfarm for ya'. Organic, free-range. It makes the difference." Jade after swallowing a huge bite of her turkey sandwich.

"Didn't know you cared about the animals?" Tori teasing.

"I don't, I care about their tasty flesh." Jade gives a wicked smirk as Tori's about to take another bite. The spellcaster shrugs and takes a big bite.

"You're not as much fun as you use to be."

"Na. ba…Iaa'm cooaloar, Riaghat?" Tori tries talking with the excessive amounts of food in her mouth. Jade response is a stare. Tori finally swallows,

"So should we find Weston, or leave before we get more sensory overload?"

"I'm leaving, we can just leave everything in the foyer. This place is too much."

"Okay." She takes another bite.

"Wait, I thought you were a vegetarian?" Jade casts an inquisitive stare as she lowers her sandwich. Tori stops chewing,

"Shhhh." Placing a finger on her own lips. Jade laughs lightly before she takes another bite of her own sandwich.

The goth and the spellcaster continue eating, in fact they proceed to fix two more sandwiches each before they head out.

* * *

So yeah, that was one of my favorites. I hope you enjoyed it.

_Cast not spells in darkness,_

_Least you draw unwanted eyes._


	6. Don't Push The Red Button

AN: Because things aren't strange enought already.

Also thanks for the reviews, they keep me alive. :)

* * *

Once their mess was cleaned up they headed back through the dining room and then sped through the den, finding themselves back where they started. Unfortunately as they were about to leave Tori notices one of the landscape paintings is crooked and decides to straighten it, feeling it was the least she could do for having stolen his food. The second the painting is level a feint click is heard, followed by screaming, an eventually thud and,

"Ow. That hurt!" The trapdoor that sent Tori out of Jade's view is still open. Jade sighs heavily,

"Damn it, Vega… Look out below." And jumps in. She slams right into Tori, who's trying to get up. Jade is now sitting on Tori's back.

"Now my face hurts too." Her voice is somewhat muffled by the fact that she is facing the floor.

"Good, serves you right for activating a trapdoor." Jade still sitting.

"How was I supposed to know?" Tori pushes up sending Jade tumbling.

"The one thing you never do in a manor is fix anything that is slightly crooked, or pull a suspicious book on a self."

"That's two things and both are mystery novel clichés." Tori now standing rubs her forehead.

"Well we're in a pit aren't we?" Jade waves her hand about the dimly lit brownish stone room.

"Yeah, but what are the chances?"

"What are the chances of werewolves being real? Or you casting a spell?" Her eyes were heavy with condescension.

"So every long shot impossibility is going to happen?" Tori somewhat joking, but more concerned about the answer than intended.

"Assume…Yes." Jade smiles holding a laugh.

"Funny…so how do we get out of here?" As they turn back to the tunnel that provided their entry they discover it's no longer present. Tori turns to Jade,

"Great job jumping in, now there's no one to pull us out. Why did you jump in?" Her arms are crossed as she stares at the goth.

"Every time you disappear strangely, you need help so I figured…" Jade starting off smugly.

"You'd come to my rescue. Awe does Jade care about little old me?" Tori using the voice Jade mocks her in.

"Sounds just like you…" Jade couldn't help herself.

"No it doesn't! And you didn't answer my question." Tori gets a little angry, but doesn't let that distract her.

"I thought we already established that you are my friend and that I care…" Jade feels herself getting a little soft again, not wanting the unsettlingly weak and mushy feeling from her heart-to-heart with Tori after school adds,

"…Somewhat."

"I'll take it. Now how do we leave?" Tori smiles as Jade looks around the small room in response and notices something on the wall opposite their entrance,

"What's that?" They both close in on the small circular hole in the wall at chest level. They stare at the hole and then around the floor looking for anything that might fit it. As Tori bends down to get a closer look at something, that turns out to be nothing but a shadow, she feels the Legion medallion tap her chest. Then a spark of inspiration hits her,

"What about this?" She pulls the medallion out of her shirt and the chain over her head.

"Why are you wearing that? You were going to keep it, weren't you?" Jade's eyes widen as she sticks out her index finger at the thief.

"No, it's…just that it's a medallion…and medallions go around your neck…and it's cool." Tori was fumbling to explain herself.

"Really, then why were you hiding it in your shirt?" Jade raises an eyebrow and smirks.

"…Do you think this will get us out of here or not?" Tori forcibly changes the subject with blushing embarrassment. Jade takes the medallion and places it in the hole,

"We'll discuss this later." It fits perfectly; a second later the wall splits down the middle dropping the medallion to the floor, Tori snatches it up and puts it back on. Jade lets it go…for now.

They step through the doorway to find a flight of poorly illuminated stone stairs…there's just one problem,

"They go down." Tori slumps in anguish.

"Don't see any other way to go. Into Hell we descend." With that Jade disappears down the stairs.

After twenty steps they turn and head down another flight, then another and another and one last flight. They have descended fifty feet below ground level, taking into account the ten foot high small room and the ten foot high stairs that lead up to the house, before finding themselves at another door with the same hole. Except this time there is also a small thin rectangular hole below it.

"Well what the hell fits in there?" Jade seriously frustrated. Tori innocently holds out the medallion in one hand and the thin black knife Charles had given her.

"What the hell, Vega? Were you going to give back anything? Is the shotgun even in the duffle bag?"

"I was going to give everything back…it's just that I wanted to have them as long as possible. Besides you're the one carrying a gun!" Tori goes from fumbling to accusing in 1.5secs. Jade had completely forgotten about the gun holstered on her back,

"Right, I'm sorry…you're absolutely right."

"Apologizing and admitting I'm right, this is a good day. Despite you know…being trapped." Tori drops her head and sighs.

"Well if the knife fits we'll be free." Jade, forgetting the previous statements, focuses on reassuring her friend.

"Fifty feet underground?"

"If the doors require keys that only Weston would have then this isn't a trap, but a secret entrance. There must be another way out." She turns back to the wall and inserts both objects, as they slide in this wall splits as well. This time Jade catches both keys and hands them to Tori.

The door opens to reveal a massive white circular room, filled with data consuls surrounding an ovular table at the center on a raised platform. The consuls have large transparent displays and touch screen keyboards on the surface panels. Small monitors flank an enormous one in a diamond pattern along the back wall. An electronic map of the world with little triangular flags of various colors dotted about it appears on the central table. On the other two walls are black elevator doors.

"Bingo! Elevators." Jade rather happy to ignore everything else as she heads for the ones on the right. Tori is in awe, but breaks away to follow her,

"What about the…the…command room?" Struggling to find the name for the imposing room.

"War room, it sounds better." Correcting without breaking her stride, Jade doesn't even look back.

"What about the **War** room?" Tori half paying attention as she keeps trialing the swift-footed goth.

"What about it?" Jade stops and turns to face Tori, who is actually looking at the central table, stops just before she slams into Jade.

"Well…can't we look around a bit, it's so…shiny." Tori still a bit mesmerized by the high tech war room.

"No, Cat we can't. I want to leave." Tori whips around at being called the name of their ditzy but loveable friend. Jade smiles at the look on her face.

Tori decides not to protest as she drops her head and walks past Jade to the elevator. After she pushes the button the door opens and they board in silence. The elevator plays _**Hole In The Sky**_ by **Black Sabbath** as they…descend,

"Great choice, we're heading down."

"I know, we just head back up and take the other one."

"I'm just saying…and the song doesn't help."

"This is classic, the good shit. Weston has a fine taste in music." Jade has begun the rocker's sway.

"I didn't say it isn't good, just…never mind."

They descend another fifty feet before the door opens revealing a huge stone hall, lit by intensely bright green flames held in torch chandeliers hanging from the twenty foot high ceiling. All leading to a giant stone statue. Tori can't help but exit the ultra-modern lift and inspect the distant stone figure. Jade drops her head and follows, trying to see as little as possible.

Nearing the statue Tori notices a golden glow at its feet. Now standing beneath the stone man dressed in bronze armor, holding a spear, Tori stares at the golden orb emitting the warming light. Before Jade can stop her she touches the object and inexplicitly screams in pain. Jade grabs her arm and experiences the same agony.

The pain fades as the room grows dark…

Slowly red flames set upon gold torch holders weakly light the room. As the girls' eyes adjust to the feint light they notice they're no longer in the same room. Columns leading up to a giant's throne, which is mostly hidden in darkness, now flank the girls. Large green legs in massive sandals are all that can be made out of the one sitting on the throne,

"You are my new servants?" A powerful thunderous voice emanates from the giant,

After a heavy sigh he continues,

"You have touched the stone, the contract is initiated. You shall serve as my envoys in the mortal realm, while Charles is indisposed. Now take your eggs so the contract maybe completed. Once you take them you will be bound to protect them, if harm befalls them you will perish. Upon the maturity of these creatures you shall be freed of the contract, of course you may also perform a perfect sacrifice. Now choose!" As his voice increases in volume he extends a green arm indicating to two clutches of eggs behind the girls.

Jade is in a state of true terror standing in the monstrous throne room being commanded by a green giant, that might have been funny if he didn't emit power in its purest form. She turned at his command and headed to one of the clutches. Tori followed in much the same state, but she preceded to the other clutch as if by fate's will. They each selected an egg; as soon as they did they reappeared in the room with the original green lighting and now dim orb.

Speech finds its way to Tori after ten minutes of silence,

"What…was…that?" She was extremely timid and slow to ask, while holding the leathery white egg close to her chest.

"The Jolly Green Giant." Jade answered flatly, before dropping against a wall and laughing. Her laughter was drenched in pure terror, but somehow it was also filled with…joy?

Tori dropped against the other wall and slid down it dropping on her ass. She looked at Jade and began laughing in the exact same manner.

It took another ten minutes before they stopped and looked at each other, both were now sitting. Jade was the first to speak this time,

"Well that's another 'longshot impossibility' down." She grinned holding the egg in the center of her lap.

"Don't make me laugh again. I might pee myself." Tori fighting the urge to laugh again.

"You mean you haven't yet?"

"Close, very close. Tomorrow I get the feeling that a thirty foot tall purple bunny spiting fire is going to appear out of my toilet."

"It'd probably make you the Queen of England." At that they fought with all their might to stop more laughter.

Jade couldn't really process what had just happened, so she used laughter as a medium to cope with the increasingly bizarre series of things that kept happening around each and every turn. Something told her if the girl sitting across from her wasn't there she would have gone completely insane at half of the things that had happened since last night. Having someone, anyone, to share the burden of this insanity helped, but having Tori Vega there made the whole situation that much more tolerable; she was a truly strong friend that you'd want to have around if your reality came crashing down. And Jade's reality was hitting the ground like the asteroid that slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula 65 million years ago, and we all know how that turned out.

Tori was doing marginally better than Jade was at handling everything that had transpired. Keeping an open mind and seeing the rainbow through the storm clouds had certainly helped alleviate some of the pressures of all the insanity. However after their trip into another dimension, well she felt that at this point another devastating surprise would send her into a homicidal rage. The truly good thing about today was that she was so tired that the warm glow of the green lights combined with the comfort of holding the egg and Jade's light snoring put her into a deep slumber.

* * *

AN: I hope the crazy isn't too much. It is interesting to picture what's inside the eggs though, right?


	7. White Hat, Black Cat

AN: Did you guess? If not, then read ahead. If so, read ahead anyway, you _know_ you want to.

* * *

It had only been seven o'clock at night when Jade and Tori dozed into sleep, but they didn't awaken until noon. Of course being one hundred feet below ground, one would never know quite what time it was, especially left to their own dulled instincts and no cell service.

Despite Jade's previous night of good sleep, Tori was the first to awaken. Every other second a feathery tingle would tickle her nose, slowly she opened her eyes to see a blurry white feather sway across her face. She also had this feeling that she was wearing a warm hat and could no longer feel that heavy egg on her lap.

Gradually she began moving her head as she focused her vision. As soon as she could clearly make out that Jade was still asleep across the hall she felt something on her head move and a tiny face appeared right in front of her own. The little white feathered face was so close she went cross-eyed focusing on the elongated head with petite fangs and two long thin orange whiskers that arced and twisted as if they were sentient. It licked her nose, scurried down her body with miniature clawed feet, and then sat on her ankles. Cocking its head it stared up at her through intense blue eyes, while gently swishing its long feather-tipped tail.

Tori's wide eyes shrunk back to normal size as she simply watched the little creature watch her. Eventually she reached out with her left hand to touch it, as the fingers neared it it arched its back and rubbed its head along the digits as if it were a cat. Small horns on its head could be felt gently poking her skin, the pain was almost nonexistent; in fact the contact felt warm and relaxing.

After a few seconds of the gentle rubbing, it scurried up her arm and rested back on her head, she enjoyed watching the very long thin white-scaled body _serpentine_ up her arm almost effortlessly. Once back in its brunette nest it coiled itself like a snake and rested its head just above Tori's brow.

Initially she felt that she must still be asleep, because there was no way there was a baby Eastern dragon on her head. Then she thought about everything that had happened, letting the reality of it sink in and decided…she was indeed awake.

But strangely, having a baby dragon on her head didn't make her want to go postal, as previously though, instead it made her feel serenity. Calming peace washed over her as she just sat there with the dragon on her head.

This lasted until Tori heard soft purring, but it wasn't coming from above her. The gentle noise was coming from Jade, or more accurately the black fur-ball resting in Jade's lap. Tori squinted trying to determine what this dark little ball of fur was, she could make out a long black tail and small white spikes running down its back. Her first thought was that it was another dragon, that idea was quickly shot down when the fur-ball rolled over and sat up.

It saw Tori through warm pink eyes as it stretched its feline body. Arching itself once more it sauntered up to her and laid down on her lap purring softly. The large black tiger cub with a row of white spikes running down its back just laid there licking its paws.

Tori reaching down scratched the back of its head and then slid her hand down its right flank, avoiding the pale sharp spines. Its purring increased in volume as it rubbed its head against her hand demanding more attention. She complied for the next five minutes, before it returned to Jade's lap.

As the light-footed feline returned to its nest Jade began to stir.

Before opening her eyes she rolled her shoulders, receiving a satisfying crack for her efforts. Next she stretched her arms over head, interlaced her fingers, and pushed them away from her, again receiving several cracks. Finally she yawns, not yet opening her eyes.

Jade fully awakens to the gentle purring in her lap, the sound is sweet and the warmth is pleasant. When she decides to investigate she discovers the large dark feline laying on its back staring up at her with soft pink eyes. As she rubs its chest,

"Mornin'." Tori greets her softly, not wanting to disturb the animal…or the dragon and tiger.

"…Mornin'" Jade answers lazily, thinking she's still asleep petting a dream tiger. Then she notices the strange white thing on the brunette mess that is Tori's hair,

"What's on your head?" She asks while squinting.

"Baby dragon. How's the tiger cub?" She answers perfectly calm.

"He…she's purring." Correcting herself after noticing a lack of certain extra…_equipment_.

"Guess she likes you." Still calm.

"Yeah." Still lazy.

"Are you feeling better?" Tori with concern on her lips.

"Honestly,…yeah. I'm feeling pretty good, despite insanity."

"Good, you had me worried."

"You shouldn't worry the dragon off your head." A little bite and good humor together as she smiled.

"You know you're awake, right?" She sighs heavily before answering,

"…Yeah,…I know. So this is a real tiger cub and that's a baby dragon?"

"I think so, but then again I'm not a crypto-zoologist." Tori getting in touch with her inner nerd.

"Whatever, Pinocchio." Using her new nickname for Robbie with a smirk,

"What time is it?" Jade asked after a yawn. Tori pulls out her phone,

"12:17p.m.!" Tori's eyes go wide.

"Looks like no school for today. Good I could use the break." Jade lays her head back against the wall continuing to scratch the cub. Tori scrolls down her call log to find fourteen missed calls and twenty-seven text messages.

"Crap! I've got to call home,…urgh I don't have service." Tori waves the phone around in the air in frustration.

"We're underground at least eighty feet. We need to get back upstairs." Jade motions to the cub to get up, it leaps off her before she rises. She walks over to Tori still fiddling with her phone and offers her a hand. She takes it, rising slowly so not to disturb her new hat. The cub follows them onto the elevator.

"I think its smiling at me." Jade is staring at Tori's white headpiece.

"Maybe he likes you to?"

"You sure he's a he?"

"He's a reptile, their…you know are inside either way." Robbie reappears.

"You've hung around Robbie too much, Pinocchio."

"Maybe…maybe not, at least I'm not talking to a puppet."

"That was a bit cold, Vega." Tori simply shrugs in response.

When they arrive back at the war room they head straight through the room, right by a blinking blue light that catches Tori's eyes. Before she can touch the corresponding button, Jade slams the button. She was tired of Tori getting them into deeper and deeper shit, so this time she decided to initiate the chaos herself.

The largest monitor on the back wall clicks on revealing a middle aged man of Indian decent relaying a message,

"All Legionnaires be advised, Lord Weston has undertaken a special mission and will be indisposed for an unknown amount of time. During his absence Master Kuluguji will act as temporary head of all emergency operations. All other duties will fall to the respective Legates as per usual operations. Long Live the Shadows." The screen went dark as the light stopped flashing.

"Huh,…from now on I activate things. You have a dangerous touch." Jade was becoming more toxic every second she didn't have her coffee, even a sip would do it.

Tori didn't argue as she and the cub followed the goth to the other elevator. They boarded and ascended to _**Joan Crawford**_ by **B.O.C**..

"I have to say I like the elevator music." Tori enjoying the distinctive piano intro.

"Wait for it." She smiles waiting to see the change on Tori's face.

"I know, I like **Blue Oyster Cult**." She bobs her head lightly to the beat. Jade stares at her with a questioning smile.

"What? It's good." At that the door opens revealing a…bathroom.

"Weston's weird." Jade knew that was obvious up and down, but had to say it. They leave the restroom, take a left and find themselves at another intersection; they take a right and end up in the foyer.

"Jade, what are we going to do with our new friends?" Tori points at both the interesting animals.

"I've got no idea."

"We can't leave them here they might get hurt and…" Tori jumps to the warning received yesterday and shudders.

"I know death for both of us." Jade with fire.

"We can't take them with us, can we?" Tori has nervous written all over her face.

"I guess we have to. Come on." As there're all about to leave the house,

"Jade, what about the stuff?" Tori points to the duffel sitting by the door.

"Weston isn't here, you heard the message. We'll give him his stuff back when he gets in contact with us." Tori picks up the bag and trails the cub, it hops into the car with no encouragement and lies in the back seat. Tori jumps in after stowing the duffle in the trunk.

After settling in she rolls up the window, half afraid her living hat would blow away at driving speeds. Pulling out her phone she enters damage-control mode,

"Hi, mom." Dreading the response.

"Tori! Where are you?" She was angry and very loud.

"On the road back." Tori answered meekly.

"Where have you been?" Still angry, just not as loud.

"The benefactor for the donation to the school lived a lot further than the directions said he did. By the time we got there it was already late, not wanting us to drive at night in our tired condition he offered us his guestrooms." She said calmly with traces of terror in her voice. Her mother listened patiently,

"I understand that. But why didn't you call?" Less angry more concern.

"No cell service and his phone line is being repaired."

"Are you two alright?" No anger, pure concern.

"Yes mom, we feel a bit stupid for over sleeping, but we're fine." Tori jokes lightly.

"Good, at least until you get home. We need to talk." Relieved, but stern.

"Understood, I'll be there as soon as possible." She responds respectfully.

"Good, bye."

"Bye."

"That wasn't so bad." Jade looks over.

"Yeah, but I'm so grounded."

"Too bad. I didn't know you could lie like that?"

"I didn't."

"Really?"

"The drive was longer than it was supposed to be, we didn't have cell service, if Charles was here he probably would have offered us his guestrooms, and as for his line being down; it could have been." Tori stated smugly.

"Still lying, just whinier about it." Jade kind of annoyed at the long explanation, she still lacked coffee.

"Should we go back in and get you some coffee?"

"No, I'll be alright. I wouldn't want to make you late for your punishment." She enjoyed dragging out the last part.

"What about your parents?"

"It doesn't matter. It'll be fine." Tori decided against pressing the issue.

They drive back down the winding road and head back to L.A.

"What about school?"

"You're such a goodie-goodie. We'd probably make it just in time for our last class, which seems kind of pointless."

"Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas." Tori recites the spell from memory perfectly, however this flash of fire is ten times the size it was previously. Fortuitously it still only lasted a brief second, to Jade it didn't matter. Because again she was startled and swerved in and out of their lane.

"Damn it, Vega. What the hell was that?" Jade understandable pissed.

"I was trying to prove I'm not a goodie-goodie." Tori was retreating into an innocence bubble.

"By killing us?"

"It wasn't that big last time."

"Maybe because you meant to do it this time. Or maybe because you basically yelled it. We have zero knowledge on how magic works."

"I'm sorry."

"…I know…just please don't do it again." Jade lets the anger fade.

"Okay."

"Good, now do something useful and hand me my phone. It fell down around your feet." Tori easily retrieves the phone and returns it to its owner. Jade sends a text message,

"Who did you text?"

"Beck."

"What did you say?"

"That I slept with you last night." She says it in a calm level tone.

"What? You didn't?" The concern stains Tori's face as she tries to process 'why?'.

"Here read it for yourself." Jade grinning tosses her the phone. Tori quickly looks at the last message sent:

'**Slept with Vega last night. See you after school.'**

"Why would you send that?"

"Hi, I'm Jade." Holding the wheel with one hand extending the other in greeting.

"You're a sick puppy."

"I know. Just remember no more magic in my car."

"Understood. Now can I send a text telling them it was another joke?"

"Well, according to your logic; we did sleep together. We were actual sleeping in the same room."

"…If that's how you want to play this." Tori quickly sends her own message.

"Really? What could you possibly have sent that would embarrass me more than you?"

"You'll see." Tori says slyly as she slides down in the seat.

"Give me that phone." Jade showing some concern.

"Fine." Tori tosses her the phone with a smug little grin.

'**After last night, I think Tori and I will be seeing a lot more of each other.'**

"That's it. That's pathetic…" She's relieved that Tori was being Tori about this whole thing.

"Maybe, but it's both true and mildly suggestive when added to your text, West." Tori takes a very casual, slightly Jade like tone.

"You do know that Beck will know something's off because you typed **TORI** instead of **VEGA**, right?"

"That's the idea." Smiling like there's a riddle to her text that Jade just isn't getting Tori smiles slyly.

"Whatever, Vega." Jade decides not to care and let the chips fall where they may.

* * *

An: When is texting not fun?


	8. Council of Dragons

AN: Sorry, if this is post-overload. I've been trying to write new chapters without much success (thank you very much Writers Block), despite working on another story and re-reading this one from start to Ch. 23... and nothing. So now I'm going to continue to release these in the hope that I will be forced to write new ones

And now sorry about that long-winded explaination...Uhm enjoy.

* * *

Two hours later they pull up to the Vega residence. Both girls evacuate the vehicle heading inside,

"You think this little guy would stay in my closet when I'm not around?" Tori asks while rubbing the dragon's neck, still on her head.

"Don't know, in fact I have no idea what I'm going to do with my tiger." She looks down at the cub.

"If it weren't for those spikes you could pass her off as an exotic pet. I wonder why she has those." Tori is focusing on the protruding spines.

"Why do you have a dragon?" Jade counters.

"Do you think she's like a normal tiger?"

"She hatched from an egg and is midnight black with spikes on her back, so yeah she's exactly like all other tigers." Jade's sarcasm is dulled by her own curiosity.

"Maybe you could trim them. Say it's a genetic mutation, maybe?"

"Or I could just keep her in my room with a huge litter pan." Jade shrugs, not really wanting to try and cut the spikes.

"Or that. Do you think my parents would believe this little guy is a rare lizard?" She turns her attention back to her own exotic pet.

"They're your parents shouldn't you know that?" She states a bit smugly.

"Would you believe it's a rare lizard?" Tori asks with intensity.

"Before yesterday…maybe." Jade considers the creature through old eyes.

"I think I'll just keep him hidden…for now."

"That's probably for the best."

"Yeah…alright so are we going to meet the others or call it a day?"

"Are we attached at the hip?" Asking soaked with venom.

"No, but…I guess I'll see you and…Edaj later." She thinks up the name on the fly, after feeling a little disappointed in Jade's response. They had just started this _**crazy-train**_ adventure and were already waist deep, she just assumed they would continue to stick together like they had been.

"Edaj?" With a raised eyebrow Jade stares at her.

"Jade backward…it sounds exotic." Tori focuses her mind on the inquiry.

"So are you going to call him Irot?" Half-joking.

"Maybe? Sounds regal, Egyptian but regal. Unless Airotciv sounds better?" Jade quickly deduces Airotciv is Victoria backward.

"…No, but maybe she should be Irot, being a cat. And you know Egypt and cats?"

"So he'd be Edaj. Irot sounds more masculine and Edaj more feminine. Of course if you like having my name backward that much?" Tori can't help break her nerd logic with some teasing.

"Get over yourself, Vega. Maybe I'll call her Jasmine." At that Irot and Edaj growl intensely.

"I don't think they like that idea. Funny." Tori a bit nervous at the growling creature on her head looks at Jade.

"What's funny about it?"

"They didn't do anything when it was Irot or Edaj…or Airotciv. I think they like those names." They have stopped growling.

"So which is which?" At Jade's question Tori takes the dragon and places him on the ground beside the tiger. She then takes several steps away,

"Edaj. Come here." Tori stands firm and points at a spot on the ground in front of her.

"Really, like that's goi…" Edaj walks over to Tori and looks up through pink eyes.

"Irot. Come here." The little serpent-like creature scurries over sits on its hind legs and rears up towering over Edaj.

"That settles that." Tori pronounces as she looks over at Jade, who just laughs as the beast tamer smiles.

After Tori makes a little nest and sternly asks Irot to stay, she heads back outside with Jade. They stop off at the West residence and Jade does the same for Edaj.

Soon they arrive at the school with almost an hour before school ends.

"How exactly did you convince me to go to school with under an hour left in the day?"

"I tamed a tiger, a dragon, and a Jade. That's what the Beast Queen, the high mage of fire does." Tori is trying to be funny, but comes off as arrogant.

"Really? All hail the Fire Queen, mage of beasts." The sarcasm is all most so thick it's mistaken for sincerity.

"Joking aside, I at least want to say we tried to make it to school today."

"Whatever. Let's just go in." Jade still annoyed at showing up at all.

They leave the parking lot and head into the school first stopping at their classes to pick up any homework and received makeup assignments as well, that didn't go over so well with Jade. Then they headed into the Black Box for their last class.

"Tori, Jade, so gracious of you two to finally show up." The teacher is annoyed.

"Sorry, we got sidetracked talking with Mr. Weston."

"Mr. Weston? The benefactor who donated this masterpiece." The teacher stares at the statue.

"Yeah, I wanted to thank him for the statue and Jade wanted to meet him and see his extensive sword collection." Tori decides to take point for fear of Jade doing something…regrettable.

"So, what was he like? Any more donations in our future?" The educator's tone did one-eighty.

"I don't know about the donations, but he seemed to hint at the idea of more."

"Well, that might just be worth your long absences. I'll talk to Helen."

"Thank you." Jade just rolled her eyes as she began to move toward her seat not really needing the,

"Now please take your seats."

The class ended soon enough and the girls found themselves surrounded by their friends.

"So you guys miss almost an entire day to thank a rich art lover?" Andre's the first to dive into the tiger's den, shared with a dragon.

"He lives three hours out of town, so it did take a while." Jade answers coldly. She decides to exaggerate the time it took them partially to make them feel a little guilty.

"So, you two were in a car for six hours together?" Beck pretty sure those texts he got earlier were jokes, but isn't a hundred percent.

"Yeah, what of it?" Still cold as ice.

"You, Jade, were in a car with Tori for six hours and didn't kill her? That's unnerving." Beck slightly less concerned about those messages.

"Oh,…I get it. You're actually concerned about those texts." She starts laughing.

"So, they were a joke?"

"Well, technically I did sleep with Tori."

"What?" Beck coughs out the word.

"Sounds like things are getting good, please do elaborate." Rex says slyly, Robbie is too shocked to even move.

"Is it getting cold in here? Vega, I need some wood for a fire, do you see any?" She looks around casually.

"Yeah about two pounds worth." Tori glares right at Rex with a maniacal grin. He shudders,

"Really because I'm burning up." Rex very nervous.

"You will be soon enough." Jade now crakes her own evil grin, the sight of the two staring him down with those smiles sent shivers down Andre's spine.

"Back to you **sleeping** with Tori." Beck recovered from his shock and now fully composed redirects the topic.

"We were on opposite sides of the room, sleeping. You know catching forty winks, in a dead slumber, imitating Rip van Winkle." Jade speaking clearly and flatly.

"It feels like we did this yesterday. I think I recall you insinuating that this was going to happen again. And when it does…nothing." Tori scratches her head as she cocks it sideways, feigning a slow memory.

"It's like they have the memories of gold fish." Jade looks at her and shakes her head in disappointment.

"It's almost sad. Not really fun if it's this easy, uh?" Tori gently shakes her head.

"No, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up on the dream."

"Fine we get it, you got us again. When you two get over yourselves meet us outside." Beck feeling stupid and tired of this already heads out with the others in toe.

"That wasn't cool, Tor."

"Andre, it was a joke. You'll laugh later." Tori feels bad about the whole thing. She turns to Jade,

"How are you always mean and they still stick around?"

"They expect it from me. You…not so much." Jade answers sympathetically as Tori walks over to the statue and looks up at it,

"Where do you think Weston is?"

"South America? Hell? The moon?" Jade leans her back on the statue.

"Anyone else I'd say you were crazy, but with him probably all three." Tori places her hand on it feeling a light warmth at the touch.

"Come on let's go see the gold fish." Jade pats Tori on the shoulder, still leaning against the statue.

Blinding light consumed them as they appeared in a plane of pure white emptiness. One identical thought ran through their heads…'_Not again'._

"Ah, visitors." They both turn around at the familiar sound of Charles's commanding voice. As they complete their turn they can clearly see the six foot thirtyish looking man dressed in olive drab expedition gear, minus his vest and equipment. He stares at them through deep brown eyes as he twirls one end of his copper colored mustache.

"Charles?" Tori completely in shock.

"Weston?" Jade right behind her.

"Jade West and Tori Vega."

"Where…" Tori takes point.

"Are we? Well, that's a bit of a story. But basically we are in a Mind Council." He stops twirling his stash and places his hands near his head emphasizing 'Mind'.

"Mind Council?"

"Your bodies are back in the school, you two are here in a purely mental capacity. Think of it as a dreamscape."

"We're dreaming?"

"In a sense, yes. You two are just fully conscious. Like a super vivid dream."

"How did we get here?"

"You two touched the stone in the shrine. Now we're linked."

"The shrine?...You mean that Hall with the statue?" Tori thinks for a second before pointing her index finger forward with an 'ah-ha' expression on her face.

"That's the one. You met with Lord Drumdracar, the green giant."

"Yeah, he wasn't very jolly." Jade finally speaks.

"Never is. Then you two took the eggs and completed the contract." They both nodded in response.

"Did you understand the contract?"

"Yeah,…we get the eggs to raise, and if…" Tori struggles to fully remember what he said.

"…They're harmed, we die. Until they reach maturity or we perform a perfect sacrifice." Jade cuts in to speed things along.

"And until then we're his…envoys, in your absence. Hey, does that mean we don't have to do it now that you're back?" Tori growing excited that her life might start to turn toward 'normal', if only by a little bit.

"First of all, it's good you remembered the contract's highlights. Second, I'm not going to be able to…envoy, for a while."

"What do you mean?" Jade looks at him with sharp eyes.

"I guessing that he didn't give you anything else, no specifics or other information?" Charles's voice almost seems pleading.

"No, why?" Tori shakes her head as she answers.

"Okay, I know you two have been through a lot in only two days, so I'm going to keep this brief." He takes a deep breath, gathers his thoughts, and continues,

"You two are now servants of Drumdracar, the Shield of God. Your duty is to act as guardians for this world. Protect the people from monsters, demons, and unholy beasts bent on world domination or destruction. With that in mind his servants are granted certain powers and privileges. One of which is…an extended life and another…the ability to transform into a…"

"Weredragon?" Tori interrupts with excitement. The gears in her head are turning trying to follow and almost out of nowhere the image of the statue permeates her thoughts and demands attention.

"Well, I was going to say Dragon Knight or Dragon-kin, but I suppose in the roughest sense…yes."

"I told you the statue was a weredragon. Wait…are you…" She is quite pleased until she realizes what that means.

"The statue? Yes, I'm frozen in stone. I look good though right?"

"Fierce." Jade throws a sexy bite, not even flinching at info.

"Thanks. So any questions?" His grandfatherly smile returns.

"Why are you stone?" Feeling that is as good as any place to start Tori asks flatly.

"Magic requires a certain amount of energy and healing spells especially can be quite draining. During my fight I was gravely injured, I won but didn't have enough energy to cast a much needed healing spell. So I opted for my emergency failsafe, healing petrifaction. It completely heals your body and requires very little energy, but the healing takes time. The more serious the injury the more it takes; it's also a cumulative spell. Subsequently every time you use it it takes even longer to break free."

"So how long will you be stone?" Tori seems to be drifting on the fringe of consciousness and is letting her mind run on auto and ask the standard follow-up question.

"Last time it was six years, so maybe nine."

"Nine Years?" Jade drops her head.

"Sorry, I wish I could be freed sooner, but the spell is unbreakable. I'm in for the long haul, but if you ever need advice I'll be right here."

"Can't we move you?" Not really liking the idea of returning to this school over the course of nine years just to talk to a statue Tori figures this is a logical question.

"In this form I'm about as dense as the moon, so I'm stuck right here. The spell makes me super dense, that way I can't be destroyed in this immobile form."

"So you're the world's heaviest paperweight?" Jade jokes dryly.

"I think there might be a heavier one in Wisconsin." She laughs lightly. He smiles in response to her reaction,

"Any other questions?"

"We can transform too? Into weredragons?" Jade gladly sees the silver lining to this monsoon.

"Yes, with proper training. And I'd prefer you use any other term, it's…offensive. Try…Dragon-kin, or Dragoon, I like that one personally. Not really used often, not sure why."

"Why is weredragon offensive?" Tori tightens her face inquisitively.

"Were-beasts tend to be primal, savage, and just plain evil. Were as we are usually good and actually much smarter than when we are in our human form."

"Oh,…okay."

"You're nine feet tall with claws and fangs, plus increased intelligence. Seems unfair to the monsters." As Jade lists off the attributes she imagines what it will be like as a Dragon-kin.

"Until you realize we're vastly outnumbered, like the Spartans at Thermopylae."

"Didn't they all die?" Tori remembers the battle from history class.

He responds with a winching smile.

"But you two shouldn't have to worry about that. So…what did your eggs hatch into?" The girls are a bit thrown off by the question, but Jade recovers,

"A tiger."

"A dragon." Tori follows.

* * *

AN: Yeah-yeah I know 'cliffhangers' (if this really is one) suck. But...well...(sigh) fine you beat it out of me. Enjoy the second half...brigandes. ;p


	9. Souls Revealed And Destiny Forged

**AN:** For any of you wandering about the 'pets' think about what each of them is in comparison to the other then their 'masters'. Just a little fun for thought.

Oh, right enjoy your second serving...

* * *

"Well that's descriptive." His tone is still friendly with just a hint of sarcasm.

"Well, there were only two piles, so we assumed there were only two…types." It takes Tori a second to find the proper word to differentiate the two very exceptional beasts.

"Each egg is unique to its owner… He created the illusion of types. The truth is that there are an enormous variety of different creatures. Dragons, pegasi, unicorns, terror hawks…"

"Unicorns? Are you serious? What poor shmuck gets stuck with a horned horse?" Jade laughs heartily.

"When you get the chance, go look up unicorns in my library. I think you might be surprised." His smile is devilish.

"Why?" Tori concerned about what she might find out about the traditionally innocent mythological creatures.

"Just look 'em up. Now as for your companions, what did they look like?" He shows a vastly deep interest in their companions.

"My tiger is black with these white spikes on her back and has pink eyes." Jade answers somewhat lazily.

"My dragon is white with orange whiskers, a long thin body, and he has blue eyes." Tori tries to copy Jade's descriptive style.

"A Female Midnight War-Tiger… and a Male Divine Sky-Dragon. Before you ask…research them, understand them. They are a very important part of each of you."

"What is it with you and research?" Jade showing obvious frustration.

"I can get long winded on many subjects, but this one especially. Trust me you want to do this at your own pace, without me talking your ears off. Okay?"

"So we have to drive all the way out to your house if we want to know more?" Tori thinking about the trouble she's going to be in because of the last time.

"If you want to you can, of course you can also use my penthouse."

"Penthouse?" Jade very intrigued cracks a sly smile.

"The Bulltermark building."

"Never heard of it."

"Good, that's the idea. I like my privacy…comes with the job. To get in simply show my medallion to the doorman, he'll understand. It's a lot more modern than the Roseborn, my manor. I think you two will like it…just no wild parties or selling any of my stuff on _**E-bay**__._"

"So normal parties are okay them?" Jade feeling much more comfortable with everything starts slipping into a much more casual stance and tone.

"Jade!" Tori still feels nervous about the whole Mind Council thing, doesn't want to upset the man opening up not one but two separate homes to them.

"As long as you invite Kaluokiki, then yes." His tone is perfectly cool.

"Kaluokiki?" Tori asks timidly.

"Hawaiian lesser demon, he loves parties. And then virgin sacrifices, not necessarily in that order." His grin is casual soaked in diabolical.

"…I don't think we'll be throwing any parties, thanks anyway." Tori **slightly** uncomfortable with the concept of sacrificing any virgins…especially her.

"Come on Vega. We don't have to sacrifice you." Jade teases unintentionally seductively.

"Easy for you to say, we wouldn't be able to sacrifice **you**." Tori bites back sharply.

"Ouch…I'd hate to interrupt because this is truly delicious, but one of your friends might come back and find you two. I'm pretty sure they'd freak out seeing their friends standing unconscious with blank expressions. So…until you need me." He's about to snap his fingers, before he can Tori cuts in,

"But how do we…Mind Council?"

"Complete a circle between all three of us. Ta-ta." Before any more questions, his fingers snap breaking the council and returning the girls to their bodies in a blinding flash.

Tori rubs her eyes as flashes of the Blackbox return her vision. She braces herself against Jade as a sharp pain stabs at the back of her head. It fades but it leaves behind an image in her mind_…a massive ancient looking version of Irot and an immense brutal looking version of Edaj are locked in a death grapple with each other surrounded by darkness._

"_What the hell was that?" _Tori stands and turns away from Jade trying to recover from the image.

"_I have no idea." _Jade is shaking her head as she braces against the statue.

"_Your voice sounds funny, Jade." _Tori notices the voice of her friend is smoother and more…clear.

"_Same here, it sounds like your everywhere." _Jade feels like the spellcaster's voice is engulfing the room, as if coming from every direction simultaneously.

"_Yeah…" _Tori turns around to face Jade. She understands perfectly as Jade's voice cuts back in as rough and hazy as it used to be…but it never sounded that way until the Mind Council broke.

"Tori, your lips aren't moving." Jade isn't sure, it might just be her mind resettling.

"What? What do you mean?" Tori worried like there is something wrong with her lips feels them as she speaks.

"I heard you say 'Yeah',…but your lips were still." Jade even less sure of what she saw.

"_What is she talking about?_"

"You're doing it again."

"_I_ _didn't say that out loud…_" Tori is freaking a little.

"No, you didn't…You were thinking it, weren't you?" Jade comes to the realization of what's going on,

"I'm reading your mind,…_that is freaking cool_." Jade starts thinking of all the things she could do with this ability.

"No it's not. I don't want you in my head." Tori rubs her forehead, this whole thing is giving her a headache.

"You just read my mind too…Maybe it's a Dragon-kin ability."

"You think Charles could've mentioned that before we left." Tori getting annoyed at all the surprises.

"Probably a lot of things he didn't mention…Whatever I'm going to enjoy this." Jade cracks the most manically grin of her life.

"Honestly, I don't care. Just stay out of my head."

"Ooh…don't want me to know about all those dirty thought floating around up there?" Jade smirking.

"I've got nothing to hide, go ahead." Tori states flatly as she crosses her arms and stares right into Jade's eyes with a steely glaze.

"…I'm not going to waste my time with your feeble thoughts. Let's go, we've kept the others waiting long enough." Jade turns wearing a bored expression. Tori follows without a word.

"What were you guys doing in there, it's been twenty minutes?" Andre leaning on Beck's car asks while looking at his watch.

"Talking to the statue." Jade answers flatly,

"He talks too much but he does like my jokes."

"Well, I'm glad someone likes them. Now are you two done messin' for the day?" Andre still doesn't find their jokes funny.

"Personally speaking, yes. Yes I am." Tori not really up for any more pranks right now.

"Without Vega, it won't be as much fun, so I guess." Jade answers begrudgingly with eyes rolling.

"Good, now are we doing anything?" Beck asks as if they were the ones who were supposed to come up with an activity.

"I'm heading home…wait where's Trina?" Tori searches for her sister and their shared auto.

"She left nineteen 'n' a half minutes ago." Tori drops her head at Robbie's reply.

"Can I get a ride?"

"If we can come over?" Andre taking to opportunity to invite them all over as is custom.

"I kinda have to talk to my parents about the whole missing 90% of school thing. So…I don't think that's a good idea. Sorry."

"That's okay we can find somewhere else to hang. We could go to the Bluesberry, my brother got kicked out for trying to eat the tables." Cat joyfully being Cat.

"It's all her fault, if she'd got a better night's sleep the night before then she could've driven us home last night." Jade ignores Cat's ditsy, striking at Tori while everyone was putting together why Cat's brother tried to eat the tables. She knows that's not why it's Tori's fault but really isn't in the mood for the 'I'm a dragon-thingy' talk.

"You're right, it is my fault. But it was worth it, let's go I'm sure you want to see me get punished." Tori walks over to Jade's car,

"Bye, guys. See you all Monday. I hope you have fun." She opens the door and takes her seat.

"When did I say I was going the take her home?" Jade arms crossed looks at Tori sitting in her car.

"Right after you slept with her." Beck finally gets to enjoy this scenario with his own joke. Jade quickly counters,

"At least she knows what she's doing." Andre and Rex enjoy a good laugh as Beck glares at her.

"Later." She walks over to her car, hopes in, and pulls off.

As soon as they leave the parking lot Tori looks over at Jade with half of a smirk,

"Couldn't read their minds could you?"

"…No, I can't read yours either." Jade is bitter and disappointed in losing her new ability.

"Must've been because we were so close to Weston…or the Mind Council was still partially in effect." Tori figured as she looks back out the window.

"Damn it! And I was going to really enjoy myself." Jade's tone flashes with rage.

"…But Jade…did you see the image of…" Tori nervously remembering the vision.

"The dragon and tiger? Yeah. Creepy." Jade lets her anger flood away, replaced by insecurity.

"What do you think it meant? I mean…"

"I know the tiger and dragon looked like Irot and Edaj. I don't know. But I think we should ask Weston, the next chance we get." Jade was also afraid of what this could mean for them and their…pets…no companions was more accurate.

"Agreed."

Tori had to wait for her father before her punishment which took about another two hours. In the meantime she finished most of the homework/makeup work for missing most of school. When he did arrive he wasn't as upset as she thought he'd be,

"Tori." He wasn't angry.

"Dad."

"What happened?"

After retelling the same story that she told her teachers and mother, she awaited the response,

"Good girl." He kissed her on the forehead.

"What?" Tori was surprised to say the least.

"I can't tell you the number of people who've died because they decided to drive without enough sleep, especially long distances were the road seems to lull you right to sleep. I'm glad you and your friend decided not to risk it, that's very responsible of you." He gets up and heads over to the table,

"Plus you called as a soon as you could, and went to school anyway. Except for the fact you overslept I really can't think of anything you did wrong."

"We're proud of your choices and manners, Tori." Her mother was beaming with pride in her little girl.

"Thanks, Mom. Dad." Tori quite shocked at these words, but not as much as Trina,

"Are you serious? She stays out until like two hours ago and you are proud of her? Staying at some strange guy's house out in the middle of nowhere, you really believe that?"

"Trina, shut up. We trust your sister, so yes we believe her. Now eat your dinner." Her father was stern as he stared her down.

Tori received no punishment, much to her surprise and even more to her sister's. After dinner she returned to her room and locked the door. She snuck some of her food in for Irot, however he wasn't hungry which concerned her. But he didn't seem weak, in fact he looked as if he had just eaten a satisfying meal. She looked around her room to make sure he didn't make a snack out of any of her stuff. Upon her inspection she found nothing damaged or missing.

She walked over to her bed and flopped down leaning up on her elbows, he quickly scurried onto the bed and then onto the top of her head,

"Why do you all ways do that?" He popped his down from her brow just like when they first met. He simply stared at her before he returned to his favorite nest.

"I suppose that was an answer. Too bad I don't understand it." She sighed and grabbed her phone. There was a message,

'**How'd the punishment go?**'-Jade

Tori though to herself how funny it was that Jade was texting her, considering just three days ago that would have been a sign of the apocalypse.

Before Jade went home she decided to stop off at Dan's,

"Oh…Hello again." He answered with concern at seeing her again.

"You stupid or something?" Jade spoke with volume and anger.

"Excuse me?"

"Your directions said it would take us an hour, it took two and a half. So are you stupid?" Less volume more anger.

"No, just had to do a background check on you two and I figured you might just give up if you thought I lied to you."

"What the hell?"

"I'm Weston's first line of defense against those who wish to investigate him. He lets me live here and I detour anyone who shows up, unless they happen to be wearing a legion medal. I knew your friend was wearing it. The medal is made of a special material called dread steel, it has a unique smell. So I figured you needed to meet with him and because you were talking to me you weren't actually Legionaries. They call first."

"You smelled the medal?"

"Strong sense of smell, comes with being a Tarjuh." At this he flicks out his purple tongue, it was long and thin like a serpent's. Then he smiles,

"Well, technically it's a sense of taste, but close enough."

"You're not human." Jade was very nervous and wished she had her gun at her back.

"So? I figured you and your girlfriend would be more unders…"

"Girlfriend? Tori? She isn't my girlfriend, just my friend." Jade was taken aback by the assumption.

"My mistake, see just as faulty as a human, no superiority complex here." He spoke apologetically.

"You're weird." Her fear and nervousness were evaporating.

"I know it's one of my better traits." Casually he leaned against the door frame.

"Isn't Weston a monster hunter?" Slightly confused.

"Good thing I'm not a monster uh?" Her confusion increased,

"But…?"

"Monsters are either those too stupid not to attack someone or too evil. I'm neither, so I help out the guy who saved my life. Wouldn't you?" He took a serious tone.

"I guess I sort of already do." She thought about her contract.

"That happens a lot, he gets around and people just fall in line. It ain't bad though, he protects us…non-hues from the less open minded hunters." Dan was back to very casual.

"Good guy."

"No kidding, so was that all you wanted? To yell at me for semi-accurate directions?"

"Yeah…sorry about that. Bye."

"See ya' and tell your _girlfriend_ 'hi' for me." At that the door was shut. Jade struck a terrifying glare at the door as if to burn it in half to get to the Tarjuh. She sighed and headed home.

* * *

AN: Ah Dan, what'a guy. And for those of you who like the texting banter, it gets better in the next chapter...just a little tease for those who care.


	10. Texting Is a Magical Thing

**AN:** Yeah, I'm now going to be trying out these line breaks to help with spacing. Mostly because I noticed it was off in the last few chapters...sorry if that caused any discomfort.

**P.S.** Enjoy the Texting.

* * *

When Jade arrived home she headed straight for her room. After opening the door she found Edaj lying on her bed curled up in a ball, asleep. Jade shook her head lightly as she went over to her desk and started on her work.

It took just under two hours to finish the work, at that time Edaj was awake and rubbing against her leg. Almost as if she knew Jade had finished, she simply stared down at the beautiful black cat. Giving in she sits on her bed and Edaj jumps up and lies on her lap.

While Jade is scratching the back of her head her hand hits the first spine, instead of cutting her it folds back against the second. When she removes her hand it snaps back into place. She pushes in back into the second and continues pushing until the third and fourth are also folding, after the fifth folds the first is now flush with Edaj's back. Jade smiles as she runs her hand down the spikes pushing them all down and then watching them snap back into place gently.

She seems entranced until she notices Edaj is watching her with a 'what are you doing?' expression in her eyes. Unintentionally,

"Sorry." At that Edaj eyes go soft again and she rubs Jade's hand with her head. Almost like a thank you.

"You're welcome." At that Edaj rests her head on the same hand.

"Definitely not normal. War-Tiger." Edaj perked up at the mention of her species. She got up moved right in front of Jade and sat there…at attention.

"At ease." Edaj lies down, her head on her front paws. Jade feels very strange, she does however like the idea of someone being obedient. But at that thought Edaj swats at Jade's leg, claws not extended. It doesn't hurt, but,

"Sorry. Can you read my thoughts?" Edaj looks up and cocks her head, keeping her soft warm eyes locked on Jade.

"I'm talking to a cat…I'll be it a supernatural big cat. I need a dose of normal." She grabs her phone and sends a text to Tori. After which,

"I wanted a dose of normal so I text Tori. And I just called her Tori…This is my new reality." She looks down at Edaj,

"Ain't so bad I guess."

* * *

Saturday came early for Tori as Irot slipped off her body and into her closet as Trina banged on the door. Looking lazily over to her alarm clock she found it said 6:09a.m. Immediately she knew what Trina was doing, slowly she sat up pulling the covers off her. Once standing she sluggishly walks over to the door and unlocks it,

"Why are you getting up so late?" Tori asked with alert eyes and an innocent smile.

"You're already up?" Trina didn't wear shock well.

"Since five thirty." Keeping the innocent smile.

"Something's wrong with you." Her shock has turned to distain.

"I know it's being related to you." With that she shuts the door and heads back to bed.

Tori knows she isn't going back to sleep, so she decides to answer Jade,

'**I'm a good girl. Good girls don't get punished.'**

That puts a smile on her face, well knowing Jade's reaction puts a smile on her face. Less than a minute later she gets a reply,

'**Rough. Lesbian. Sex.' –**Jade

Okay she didn't expect that reaction, although it still makes her smile…And regret ever uttering those words. It was curious that Jade was awake at six in the morning, regardless of it being a Saturday. She decides to see if Jade's in a talkative mood,

'**Why are you up so early?'**

'**Edaj is a morning cat.' **-J

'**Irot likes sleeping in.'**

'**Wanna trade?'**-J

'**Not on your life.'**

'**Asshole.'**-J

'**Trina.' **

There is a minor delay before Jade responds,

'**You win.'**-J

Tori can't help laughing, not only at the joke but at Jade conceding victory.

'**You got plans?'**

'**Beck'**-J

'**You guys haven't spent too much time together.'**

'**I'm aware.'**-J

'**Are you going to tell him?'**

'**That you're in love with me?'**-J

'**That and about everything else.'**

Tori knew Jade was never going to let that joke die. So she chose not to waste the energy arguing, especially this early in the morning, what they both knew was a bad joke.

'**Don't know.' **-J

'**He should know.'**

'**And think that his half-monster girlfriend is a monster.'**-J

'**He already knows you're a monster, you're Jade.'**

'**Funny.'**-J

'**Thank You.'**

'**But seriously I don't want him freaking out.' **-J

'**I genuinely doubt that he will freak.'**

'**Maybe later on after we know more about our new selves.' **-J

'**If that's what you want. Then Okay.'**

'**It's not like I asked permission, Vega.' **-J

'**What about anyone else?'**

'**Like who?'**-J

'**Andre? Robbie? Cat?'**

'**Cat, really?'**-J

'**Okay, not Cat. But Andre or Robbie?'**

'**Not Robbie. Maybe Andre and Beck together?'**-J

'**They do look cute together, don't they?'**

Tori couldn't resist, she giggled when she sent it.

'**Trying to get rid of Beck so you can have me all to yourself?' **-J

'**Anything to get you, Beautiful.'**

'**Control yourself, Vega. But honestly?'**-J

'**Sounds good. See ya' whenever.'**

'**Maybe I'll see you first, Ta-ta.'**-J

Jade felt that using that farewell would definitely give the words more meaning than they actually had, the thought of Tori putting too much into it was delicious.

"I can't believe that just happened. And the _**crazy-train **_rolls on. Next stop Utter Insanity, no wait already been there…maybe Bat-Shit Bonkers Junction. What do you think?" Edaj looks up at her then over at the picture of Beck on her night stand.

"Good idea, Edaj." It almost seemed like the cub smiled as Jade sent her boyfriend a text,

'**Mornin' babe.'**

It took a few minutes for a response,

'**Jade, you're up early. Did something happen?'**-B

For a second she thought about another Tori joke, but quickly decided against it…odd,

'**No, just up early after sleeping till noon yesterday.'**

'**Okay, so what's up?'**-B

'**Want to hang?'**

'**Always babe. When and where?'**-B

'**Two hours and you pick. See ya' soon.'**

'**See ya'.'**-B

Jade quickly showered and dressed, taking no longer than ten minutes. Once she was ready she grabbed Edaj and headed down stairs, ducking out to her car she drove off to the nearest park.

There were a few people around on morning runs or walking their dogs, but not many. She finds a pretty barren area and her and the cub walk around for a while. Every now and then someone would come by and,

"She's vicious, I'd stay back." That combined with Jade's tone and demeanor was enough to drive them away before they took a good look at the war-cub.

After an hour of fun they headed back home, stealthfully they ascended the stairs and returned to Jade's room. Because of Jade's sweating condition she was completely clean despite all the playing with Edaj after washing her hands that is.

She had about half an hour before Beck would show up so she decided to do something stupid. She asked Edaj to stay put like before, left her room locking the door, and then went out into the back yard. Her father was in the kitchen eating breakfast,

"Were did you go?"

"Park, morning jog."

"How does it look out there?"

"A few clouds nothing dark, looks like a nice day."

"Good, so the other night?"

"Got late, stayed with friend. Nothing worth mentioning."

"Okay."

A nice civil direct conversation, just like Christmas and her birthday.

Once in the backyard she checked to make sure no one was watching her, then,

"_Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas." _Then just like whenTori spoke the words a green fireball appeared before her and was gone just as quickly as it appeared. Though something was off…the ball was much smaller than Tori's was the second time, it was still bigger than the first, but…

"Maybe…saying it louder…Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas." This time the ball was indeed bigger, but still not as big as Tori's,

"Maybe….Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas." This time she focused on the words intensely and directed her hands in front of her, the ball was again larger and lasted slightly longer, however it was yet again smaller than Tori's.

"Damn you, Vega. One last time…Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas." This time she focused even more intensely and brought her hands close together. And it was bigger still and lasted even longer, but again just shy of Tori's.

"Frag! Tori must be a natural. It was still pretty damn cool. Plus mine lasted longer."

She continued toying with the spell, increasing her concentration and using different hand gestures. After almost thirty minutes two conclusions were reached; Hand gestures act as a guide for the spell, and concentration and volume affect the size and duration of the spell.

She could hear Beck's car pulling up and headed around front.

* * *

Tori had enjoyed the text bantering and was fully awake in body and mind when she headed off for a shower. Unfortunately she left her phone unattended on her nightstand, where a slightly bitter older sister could easily access it. Tori would later consider getting a lock similar to Jade's so she could lock it from the outside.

After retrieving her sister's phone Trina preceded to look through everything, stopping her search when she came across the text history,

"Mom!" Trina was running down the stairs waving the phone in the air.

"What is it Trina?"

"Read this." Trina shoves the phone in her mother's face with a shit-eating grin.

"Is that Tori's phone? Trina put that back. Now." Mrs. Vega could not believe how petty she was being.

"After you read what your **favorite** daughter's been up to." They proceed to stare each other down,

"Fine." As she reads her face goes from annoyed to shocked almost instantly and it doesn't diminish as she continues to read.

Tori finishes her shower and dresses, completely oblivious to events unfolding. When she finally descends to the living room she is met with her mother staring at her,

"Rough. Lesbian. Sex." She held out Tori's phone. Tori was completely mortified at 'Les…'.

"Honey, I will always love you no matter who you love, but…"

"It's not what you think."

"So you and your little girlfriend aren't…" Trina feeling a sense of superiority.

"No, we most certainly are not and she isn't my girlfriend. It's a joke."

"What?" Mrs. Vega was willing to hear this explanation. Tori really didn't want to repeat this…but had to,

"Rough…Lesbian…Sex…is a joke." The three words were slowly choked out, each harder to say than the last.

Tori continues to explain the joke and impact it had on their friends.

"But what about '**That you're in love with me**.'?" Trina struggling to attack Tori.

"Jade likes to torment me about my choice in scandalous activity to sell the bit; I'm not in love with her." Tori's tone was flat and perfectly honest, even the deaf could hear that.

"'**Anything to get you, Beautiful.**'?" Still struggling.

"More joking, it's no fun if she gets all the hits. It's not cool to go through my things and then accuse me of something." Tori's horror is replaced by anger, but she remains calm and even toned which unnerved the other two Vegas.

"I know…I'm sorry, Tori. Trina apologize." Her mother was deeply embarrassed by the whole debacle.

"But…but…" Her mother stares daggers into her,

"Fine…I'm sorry!" The most venom soaked apology in history. Trina stormed up the stairs.

"I'm sorry,.. but if you were ever…you know…I'd still love you."

"I know, mom. And if I were _gay_ I wouldn't hesitate to tell you, but I'm not…so don't worry about it." Tori's anger diffuses as she smiles at having such an understanding mother.

"How is it that you're the _younger _sister?"

"I was born during an eclipse, gravity magic made me mature faster." Her mother laughs in response to the ridiculous answer. Tori on the other hand actually wondered about gravity magic and the powers of an eclipse.

* * *

**AN:** Yeah, the next chapter will be Bade-y... but also Tori-tastic.

_'Fear not, for the future is fluid._

_Only the past is written in stone.'_


	11. Weekend Waltz

"Should I expect any more jokes or is this just me and you?" Beck was looking over at Jade with one hand on the wheel.

Jade again bites her tongue, holding back a pretty juicy tease.

"Just you. Unless…?" She asks slyly.

"No, I'm fine with just you and me. Perfectly fine."

At that moment Jade realizes something very disturbing…every sentence he composes is an opportunity for a joke.

"You know it's going to be hard for me not to make any jokes about Tori at your expense?"

"I've known you for two years, I'm fully aware of how hard you're trying not to. But I am curious as to why."

"What do you mean?"

"Wednesday you were not holding back anything…now you're biting your tongue to make me feel better. Why? Did something happen with Tori?" Somewhat accusing he stares at her as they stop at a red-light.

"So I start being nicer to you and you're concerned. And you think there is something wrong with me."

"Yeah, suddenly your best friends with Tori, then you two disappear for basically an entire day coming back even tighter. So what happened?" His accusation is more obvious.

"We…talked." Jade struggles to be honest.

"You talked? That's it? About what?" Beck was half surprised that she didn't just joke it off.

"You and me."

"Us?"

"Yeah, she went _**Dr. Phil**_ on my ass. And for whatever reason I opened up to her." She could tell him the truth; that she had recently stared death in the face and now felt that she should be slightly less of a bitch to…everyone. But this half-truth felt less crazy,

"So, now we're…closer. She's more…interesting than I previously thought." Her tone softens marginally, Beck doesn't catch it.

"Good, because when you two aren't fighting you guys…rock. I mean that performance the other day…wow. You two complemented each other well." All his concerns seem to be alleviated as a big grin graces his face.

"That was all me, Vega was a little amateur for my tastes. But it got the job done." She felt good seeing him smile.

"And you're back. So what did you want to do?"

"I thought I told you to decide."

"You were serious? Well I was thinking maybe…a picnic?" Beck concerned about her reaction to his slightly un-Jade-like suggestion.

"…Acceptable." The answer was slow but earnest.

* * *

"I'm heading out. See you later, and don't worry I'll call before anything goes down." The clock chimed seven as she headed out.

"Alright, have fun."

Tori wanted to get moving before her friends ambushed her house. With Irot carefully tucked inside of the oversized sweatshirt she was wearing she made her way into her car and took off. Technically it was Trina's weekend to use the car, but she figured with the accusation and leaving her at school yesterday…well it only seemed fair.

She drove until they found themselves in a sparse uninhabited forest. Tori imagined Irot would enjoy scurrying up and down the trees.

"Well, have fun." Irot took off up like a shot up a large maple at her permission. The way the mythical reptile moved about still entranced Tori, despite how much she watched him move around it was always enthralling.

But she had another reason for coming out into the middle of nowhere. Slipping her phone out of her pocket, regardless of the whole gay debacle she was happy Trina didn't find the spell**s. **Indeed she had copied the green fire spell however she had also copied down three others.

"Okay, which one should I try…this one…'Huyet duier torchesa igneitas foluiyo'." The air in front the young spellcaster was now forming into a small ball of golden fire. It kept burning unlike the green fire, it was radiating a low heat as it swirled and churned.

As she moved closer to it the ball moved away from her the same distance that she advanced. She then backed up and it followed,

"That is so cool. But how do I shut it off?" Tori stared at the orb and then at the spell that had summoned it.

"Maybe reading it again… Huyet duier torchesa igneitas foluiyo." The flame was joined by another ball of golden fire.

"That's interesting, but not helpful…Maybe backwards…Oyiulof Satiengi…." Before she could finish the spell Irot fell from the above and scared Tori. The surprise both stopped her casting and broke her concentration on the fireballs, which promptly disappeared leaving the air slightly cooler.

"Irot! Why did you…Hey they're gone." She had just noticed the fire was gone.

"What happened?" Irot's response was a quick feigned strike at her, she jumped back again startled,

"Irot, stop scaring me…" Then it hits her,

"When you scared me the spell disappeared. You broke my concentration that's what kept the spell going. Thank You, Irot." He looked up at her with what appeared to be a smile. Then he scurried off back up a tree.

Tori looked down at the last two spells and chose another,

"…'Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu.'." Nothing happened; she rapidly surveyed the area checking to make sure nothing has happened but there is indeed nothing. Feeling disappointed by the failure she tries again with hand extended in anger,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" She spoke quite loud. This time she felt an intense warmth in the palm of her hand as a ball of blue fire irrupted forth. It struck the tree in front of her with an explosion of blue fire. The flames dissipated without catching anything on fire, but when Tori went to inspect the damage she found that a fair chunk of the tree was charred black several inches deep. When she touched it, it crumbled leaving black ash on the surface of the hole that it created.

"Holy Crap! I just threw a fireball." The feeling of releasing something that destructive from her fingers was exhilarating.

After throwing a many more blue fireballs and scorching a several more trees and a couple of rocks she started feeling a little tired. Her muscles were score as her vision began to get fuzzy,

"I guess…I used too many…spells." Two hours of playing with magic combined with the amount of energy exerted leaves her panting as she sits down against a tree, Irot scurried down to her and curled up in her lap. She began rubbing his head as she caught her breath.

"I'm okay, I just found my limit. Guess it's better now than in combat. Combat…I hadn't even considered that I would have to fight more monsters. He basically said that I would have to…but it didn't sink in till now." Irot looked up her with stern supportive eyes, she feels a sense of ease as he stares.

"I guess you think I can do it, huh?" He licks her finger.

"If you say so." He ascends her body back to his favorite spot in the universe.

"Well, I guess that's settled. I will fight and defeat monsters." She straightens her body and makes her declaration with pride.

"Really? You? You are nothing child. I shall savor your flesh, weakling." Stepping out from behind a tree is a...goblin, a three foot tall green man wearing red trousers and carrying a butcher knife. His head was large for his diminutive form and his jaw protruded forth showing his large yellow lower fangs. As the creature shifted in place its large black eyes watched Tori carefully.

"And who are you supposed to be?" She stands asking with a casual tone.

"**I am Rugger** and I'm going to **kill** and **eat** you." He strikes a fierce pose as he slobbers.

"I think he's a goblin, are they dangerous?" She throws her eyes up to Irot, who yawns and falls asleep.

"Of course I'm dangerous I'm a Wolgerrun." Rugger a bit pissed at her casual attitude toward him.

"A what?"

"Wood Goblin to you lesser beings." He seems to emanate arrogance.

"I knew you were a goblin." Tori a little excited that she was right.

"Why are you so calm? I'm going to kill you." He's getting annoyed at her disrespect toward him.

"Somehow I doubt that if a pack of werewolves couldn't do me in, a goblin isn't going to get much further." She returns to the persona that challenged the vampire lord.

"Werewolves?" His shock is evident.

"Thirty. To be exact." She coolly says as she leans against the tree, she had been sitting against.

"Th-th-thirty?" He can barely get out the words as fear starts consuming him.

"Yeah, but I'm sure the great Rugger of the Wolgerrun is far more terrifying than a Vampire Lord." Tori steps forward using a taunting tone.

His eyes are wide as he drops his weapon and falls to his knees.

"But…how could…you?" He looks as if he's about to surrender, but then he finds fire,

"No, you're lying…no creature as weak as you could defeat one of those monsters." He stands grabbing his weapon and prepares to charge. Tori looks right at him extends her right hand, and,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu." The blue ball of fire erupts from her hand and strikes the bald green skinned fool right in the face. He has no time to scream as superheated sapphire flames crash into his head. Lifeless his body drops to the ground.

Tori falls back against the tree, casting the spell has made her woozy. For the next thirty minutes she stays perfectly still, but slowly some of her strength returns. She stands and walks over to her car. Looking back at the dead goblin she sits in the front seat. She locks the doors and lays back the seat. Not twenty seconds later she's asleep.

* * *

The picnic would have been romantic if it wasn't for the fact that shortly after it began they received visitors,

"Jade! Beck!" Cat's unmistakable squeal is heard over the dogs barking at the super high pitch. '_Even ten is too early to deal with Cat_.' Jade wasn't in the mood for this.

"Cat, what are you doing here?" Jade remaining calm, though she's pissed.

"Where?" Cat's ditsy comes out swinging.

"At the park."

"What about the park?" And it hits a homerun, no one is as scatterbrained as Cat.

"Why are you here at the park?" The agitation in her voice is starting to break through her nice.

"Oh…we couldn't find Tori so we came here." Answering innocently.

"What happened to Vega?" Concern begins eroding her anger.

"Her sister said she went to see her girlfriend. But Tori doesn't have a girlfriend." Cat tries thinking about the information she just provided and still doesn't understand it.

"No, she doesn't."

"Doesn't what?" Another homer for Team Scatterbrained.

"Go play with the dogs." The agitation takes full control as she points in the direction of a group of dogs and their owners.

"Doggies, yeahhhh!" And the squeal if possible was even louder as she ran off.

Andre and Robbie are bringing over a cooler and basket full of sandwiches.

"When did you two start dating?" Jade feeling more like Jade.

"Right after you and Tori." Rex pops out of the basket.

"Rex! What is wrong with you?" Robbie is red with anger.

"You've got you've hand up my…" Jade laughs to herself; '_the puppet can be funny'_.

"Rex!" Robbie is now red from embarrassment.

"So what happened to Vega?" She turns her attention to Andre.

"Don't know, she wasn't home. Trina said something…I figured it was just you two doing your thing." He answers coolly.

"Did you call her?"

"Yeah, no answer. I'm sure it's just a low battery."

"Maybe,…I'm sure she can handle herself." Jade thinking back to the things that the spellcaster has done feels better about not knowing where she is.

"You're not worried about her are you?" Andre somewhat taken aback.

"Yes, I am. Is there something wrong with that?" She asks flatly.

"With a normal person worrying, no. But with you and it being Tori, yeah that's weird." Andre takes a step back as he answers.

"When have I not been weird?" She states with a smile.

"Never." He was afraid of what Jade's reaction might be.

"Exactly. Now why are you here ruining my date?" Calm again giving way to agitation.

"Sorry, Cat wanted to come to the park and we were just following her to her favorite spot." Andre looking around for the redhead.

"Well, she's over there now, so follow her." Jade bite sharply with venomous fangs.

The two boys grab the cooler and basket and head off after Cat.

"Now where were we?" Jade says seductively as she returns her attention to Beck.

"Aren't you going to call Tori?" Expecting her to have forgotten about him.

"I can or we can salvage this date?" He kisses her in response.

* * *

**AN:** Oh God! He was only three days from retirement, **Noooo!...**poor Rugger.

But more seriously, I hope that little bit of action was mildly satisfying.


	12. Goblins For Supper

**AN:** I've started writing for this story again...not that you'll be getting those chapters for a while, I am writing Chapter Twenty-Four, so...yeah that's still great news right?...

Sorry, enjoy. :)

* * *

Six hours later Tori finally rises from her slumber. Without even thinking she starts the car and drives out of the forest.

"I just killed a goblin." Irot scurries off her head and sits in the passenger seat.

"I mean he was evil, he wanted to kill me. But he was intelligent, well at least somewhat. And I killed him."

The idea of her taking the life of anything intelligent seemed nothing but a nightmare, even after the werewolf her and Jade killed.

"But that was necessary, it was either them or it. I didn't have to kill the goblin, I could have gotten away." She started to feel a pain in her chest, like the little voice you sometimes hear in your head was now beating her heart for her crime. Then another voice spoke up; _what would have happened if someone else came upon the goblin?_

"He would have killed them." That was enough to silence the first voice.

"I stopped him from killing anyone else…but did I have to kill him?" The voice was getting ready to take another swing at her still recovering heart. Again the second spoke; _would he have felt guilty for killing you?_

"…No, but I'm not him. I could've walked away." She seemed to be arguing for the first voice against the second. _Really?_

"…Yes…" She wasn't sure. _You're lying. You would never have let that monster go._ _He was a danger to others. _

"But that didn't give me the right to kill him." Tori was slipping further into guilt. _You are a guardian of the weak and a protector for the defenseless; will you simply give up on those who need you?_

"No…but…" She is starting to feel the power of the second voice's argument. _But what? You have a duty. Would you refuse to help the innocent?_

"No, I could never let someone die if I could stop it." It's points are getting stronger. _Then why are you whining? You took an evil life to save innocents that is the purpose you serve. That is the responsibility you bare, embrace it._

"I...understand." The second voice was silent, she had convinced the first voice to follow the second. Now both were silent.

"I…I can live with that."

She had made her first sentient kill and her mind survived, strong enough for the next encounter.

* * *

"That was more fun than I thought it would be, especially with the rest of the day being hijacked by the others." Jade was smiling as she got out of Beck's car. It was about four when they finally pulled up to the West residence.

"Nevertheless I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, babe." He closes the door and walks around to meet her.

"Keep it up and I might dream about you as much as Vega." She didn't catch the more obvious meaning of that statement. But Beck did,

"So she has a crush on me too?" He says with a smirk.

"No…she only has eyes for me." Jade counters with her own smirk.

"I can see why." He kisses her and she returns the affection with interest.

When he finally pulls back,

"Maybe we should talk about Tori more often?" Beck teases lightly.

"Careful, she could infest my soul and drive you out." She taunts while feigning to lose interest in him.

"In that case, Vega who?" They kiss again just as passionately.

"Vega?" She breaks their embrace.

"No, Beck." He's mostly sure she's teasing and that she didn't just call him Vega.

"No, idiot. There's Vega." He turns to see Tori pulled along the curb. She had dropped Irot off back at home and was now leaning on her car.

"Sorry to interrupt the show. But I need your girlfriend." Tori speaks flatly as she approaches.

"Already, but I'm still sore from this morning in the park." Jade rubs her shoulder. Beck is starting to get used to the mocking.

"I was hoping to take you to the Bulltermark building, but if you're in too much pain." Tori lightens up and plays their little game.

"I think I can soldier on for you, my love." Jade feigns a sappy lovesick voice. Beck's getting used to it, but finds this a bit much.

"See ya' Beck. And I'm sorry about stealing her away from you." Tori says sweetly with a mischievous grin.

"I understand, have fun." He doesn't show a single shred of the concern he's feeling about how much they enjoy this.

"We will, don't worry I'll take pictures." Jade waves as she jumps in the passenger seat of Tori's car.

They pull away with him waving.

"Where have you been?" Jade asks with masked concern.

"That didn't look like the ending to a bad date." Tori again speaking flatly.

"It wasn't." Jade smiles remembering the fun of the date.

"Then why do you care where I've been?" Tori comes across as frigid.

"Wow Vega. I thought we were friends. I was concerned." Jade is actually hurt.

"Sorry, I just killed a goblin in the woods."

"Is that a euphemism for…" Jade is actually trying to think of what in the hell that phrase could mean but Tori doesn't give her the opportunity,

"No, I actual killed a **wood goblin** in the forest." Tori keeps an emotionless tone.

"Holy shit, Vega!...Wait with what?" Jade remembered that the guns were in her trunk.

"Magic."

"That little green flash. Must have given it a heart attack." Jade jokes trying to get Tori to loosen up.

"No, blue fireball melted his face."

"What?" Jade completely surprised.

"I may have copied a few other spells." Tori starts taking a more innocent tone as she casually looks away.

"Okay, so you're Not Very Good Witch Vega. Can you show me?" Jade vary curious about this new spell.

"Later, right now I need to know something." Tori refocuses herself on the task at hand.

"What?" Jade's curiosity shifts.

"Everything about goblins and us."

"Us?" Jade with a joking smile.

"Dragon-kin." Tori ignores the implication of the smile.

"This couldn't wait till tomorrow?" Jade feels disappointed Tori doesn't take the bait.

"The goblin talked to me."

"And?" Jade misses the point.

"I need to know if I could have reasoned with him or was my only option to kill him."

"The first kill."

"What?"

"When a cop makes his or her first kill they have to see a psychologist to make sure they're okay. So do I need to be your shrink?" She's re-interested.

"Already talked it out with the voice in my head." Tori tries to come across as serious and…sane.

"You're hearing voices?" Jade's not sure if she's joking or serious.

"One was my conscience, but the other…honestly I have no idea. That's why I need to know about us…to see if it's a Dragoon thing." Tori is very concerned about her own sanity, but is resolute in finding the answer before she jumps to conclusions.

"Alright, let's do it." Jade sees that Tori needs support now more than anything and provides it,

"You know I like Dragoon better." She tries lightening the darker mood that Tori created.

"I know it sounds…more…" Tori accepts the kindness.

"I know, it can't quite be explained."

"Yeah."

"By the way I went and saw Dan yesterday."

"And? What did you do?" Tori concerned about what happened to the poor fellow.

"Talked. He works for Weston. Something about deterring people from trying to find him." Jade tosses out the data half lazily, though Tori catches the light smile she's trying to hide.

"Is that why Weston's address was his house?" Tori piecing it together.

"Gold star for Vega…he's also a…Tarjuh." Jade actually does try to think of a way to tell her without it shifting the mood from the friendly one that she just created…but fails, so she simply blurts it out.

"Tarjuh?"

"I have no idea, all that I know is he has a purple, snake's tongue."

"So he's a monster…that works for a monster hunter?" Tori not really understanding how that would work.

"He doesn't like the term monster, but yeah. Then again Charles is also…a creature." Jade looks over at Tori with a solemn expression,

"And so are we."

"…I don't think that fact is going to sink in any time soon." Tori thinks of the statue and still can't picture herself as a nine foot tall reptile.

"At least not until we transform." Jade lightens a bit with a playful smirk.

"I'm in no hurry."

"Personally I can't wait." Jade immediately wonders again what it would be like to see the world through dragonic eyes, to feel the wind on scaled skin, and…a tail, having a tail draws her into her own little world. Which is promptly interrupted,

"Jade…thanks for coming with me. I know you and Beck probably had…_plans_." Tori starts feeling bad about interrupting her friends in such a potentially intimate moment.

"What exactly is it about me that says I've given it up?" Jade ponders with a questioning look.

"Have you?" Tori stunned by the query.

"No, doesn't make me innocent though." She answers blandly, then adds a raised eyebrow.

"I'm painfully aware, but really you and Beck have been together for two plus years. If I were a guy I would be pissed at you."

"We've done plenty of depraved things." Jade adds a wicked grin.

"Then why don't you…you know?"

"I like the teasing temptation of messing with him…and it always felt so final if you go all the way. If you give your entire body to someone what's left?" Jade is starting to get more serious than she intended.

"Your soul." Tori swings with the most obvious answer that a romantic could.

"And if I lay that bare before him and it's not enough?" The gravity of the topic has drawn out Jade's deepest concern about her and Beck.

"Have you met Beck? He would love to be with the Jade I've gotten to know in only these past few days. The kind, caring…" Tori lightens the mood and answers gravely simultaneously.

"That's not me." Jade fiercely shooting down the disgusting adjectives.

"Alright; friendly, encouraging, concerned?" Tori taps into her experiences with Jade's true self.

"Half-monster, witch,…" Jade also looks at her new true self.

"Well that's part of the package isn't it? He'll be fine." Tori's voice is sweeter as she continues arguing her stance with no sign of backing down.

"Later, Vega. I'll tell him much later." Jade is growing tired of the argument. She will tell him, but has to be more aware of what this new self entails. That includes the dangers that come with the perks. Beck is a major part of her world and she isn't willing to let him get hurt because of her.

"Fine, but I'm not giving up. He deserves to know." Tori is strong in her conviction. She needs people to be supportive of who they are, because she knows that she can't keep this secret from those she cares about for long. And Beck is the first step in telling them.

"Vega." Jade's tongue is rapier sharp.

"Ending conversation. We're here anyway." She looks up at the building ahead.

"Good, let's find out if you're crazy." Jade ecstatic that there discussion has finally ended.

The girls park on the street just down from the older looking building with 'Bulltermark' above the door in small bronze lettering.

* * *

**AN:** If you were a half-blood dragon with mystical powers would you tell your significant other? Or keep it a secret as long as possible?


	13. Bulltermark

**AN:** The mythology I use is a hodgepodge of various other shows and some actualy classical, but also things that I give my own unique twist.

Just a peak inside my head, don't get lost...**Now** to the actualy reason you're here...enjoy.

* * *

They walk up to the large aged building, obviously built in the early thirties. The ten story building coated in heavy grey stone was adorned with gargoyle statues on each ledge. It does process a certain allure, an archaic ambiance.

As they approached the glass double doors they were met by a tall dark-skinned man in his late twenties with blue eyes wearing a blue and gold doorman's uniform. Tori pulled the medallion out of her shirt and showed it to him. He glanced at the object for only a second before turning and opening the doors. They followed him inside to the counter on the right.

Behind the black marble topped counter was another tall dark-skinned man dressed in a similar manner, however he was at least in his sixties with a short grey beard and a pistol strapped to his side. His uniform also bore a golden star on his left shoulder and a laurel reef around the collar.

The young man snapped a firm salute and barks in a British accent,

"Sir! She bares the medallion." The older man returns the salute as he rises,

"Dismissed." As the young man returns outside the older man walks over to a service elevator just behind and off to the left of the counter,

"Follow me." His order is calm and commanding, much like Charles's. Tori and Jade follow in silence as they board the lift.

"Is that Charles's medal?" He asks as if he knows the answer, as the doors close.

"Y-yes." Tori is a bit nervous.

"That means our report of the incident on the twelfth is inaccurate. It seems that the Silver Fangs left out a rather important detail involving the number of people present at the…skirmish." He looks down at them with kind eyes.

"Oh…we didn't know. Emily Grey told us she would be in touch with any further details." Tori chooses to proceed as honestly as possible without revealing too much.

"The bitch hasn't said anything. Hell, if we hadn't heard the message in the war room we wouldn't know anything else." Jade becomes angry at the realization of Emily lying to them, unintentionally revealing Intel in the process.

"Fiery one aren't you? I can see why Weston entrusted his home to you. Thank you for informing me about your visit to Roseborn, we were concerned about the conformation of that message from his home. Your honesty will be noted." He keeps a kind and calm tone.

"Are you a member of the Legion?" Tori asks a little timid, despite his tone and friendly demeanor.

"I am James Cole, former commander of the Second Legion." He takes pride in his former glory.

"Why are you dressed as a doorman?" Jade asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm retired, but I needed something to distract my time. So I work a very comfy job as the head of Charles's security force." Returning to a more even tone James cracks a light smile.

"Disguised as a doorman?" Jade's curiosity not sated.

"Would you consider the doorman dangerous?"

"With that…yes." Jade looks at his jet black 1911 .45 colt strapped to his left side.

"No legionnaire, even a retired one, ever goes unarmed. Old habits." He grins big as he answers.

"I wish I had mine on my back myself." Despite only being a gun owner for four days Jade can relate to the feeling of being naked without a firearm.

"A girl after my own heart, if I were my grandson's age..." He starts into a hardy good-hearted laugh.

"Or if I were my grandmother's age." Jade joins him in his chuckle.

"What exactly is the Legion of Shadows or the Silver Fangs?" Tori hates to interrupt the laughter but is curious about the Legion and feels that an ex-commander would be a great source of information.

"Two of many orders of Hunters. Most are like the Silvers, they only hunt specific types of monsters; like were-beasts or demons. Were as the Legion is a global order that hunts anything considered dangerous or a threat."

"So what happens when two orders cross each other?" Thinking back to the way Emily and Charles acted around each other.

"It all depends on the orders in question…and the situation. If a silver and a standard legionnaire are going up against a were-beast then the silver would traditionally have authority. Of course most would simply differ to the legionnaire."

"Why is that?" Tori keeps up the questioning leaving Jade to simply listen.

"The Legion of Shadows is the oldest, largest, and strongest order in existence. It's also the most well-funded and connected organization in the business of hunting. And ever since the rise of the United Nations the Legion has become a political power acting as a buffer for the various orders and world governments in which they operate. So to actually answer your question…we're the best and others respect that, but we still respect them as well."

"So even killing monsters is political? What a world." Jade disgusted by the info.

"It is an unfortunate necessity that Charles hates with a passion. He doesn't hunt anymore, because of all the meetings he has to attend."

"What about Wednesday? Seemed like he was hunting to me." Jade sharp to strike.

"Every now and again he goes out to recruit potential apprentices, for elite training. He had read Ms. Grey's file and was impressed; she displayed remarkable abilities, skill, and a natural talent for problem solving. Without question, officer material. He went out to simply observe her on a scouting mission to confirm a werewolf presence, see her abilities for himself. However it would seem things didn't go as planned." He looks at them with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not like we could do anything about being there or the Vampire Lord." Jade was very happy to burn these points into him. He simply smiled,

"I can understand, met Lady Misfortune a few times myself. It couldn't be helped."

The elevator comes to a stop at the top floor. The doors open revealing…a closet.

"Charles is mildly obsessed with secret passages and clandestine entrances." James says with a sigh.

"We're fully aware." Jade says with her own.

"Are there any other secret doors inside?" Tori dreads the answer.

"…Yes. Despite the fact that no one except high ranking legionaries or legates enter he still insists on hiding things behind false walls and in hidden cambers. I suppose it does keep things interesting." James is fully aware of Charles's age and could easily see how being around for over a hundred and fifty years could make things a little dull.

Tori opens the closet door into the lavish master bedroom. A heavy king sized bed is enveloped in black Egyptian cotton sheets and a light comforter as the bed itself sits at the center of the back wall opposite the entrance. The white walls are adorned with pictures and portraits similar to those in Roseborn with the addition of the old twin cavalry swords crossed on an embellished plaque over the bed. Light could barely enter the room through the tinted glass being mostly blocked by heavy black curtains. The floors are white marble tile inset with arcane symbols. There are several black wooden dressers, a desk and two nightstands ornamented in gold scrollwork finishing off the furnishings.

"He has a thing for the black and white, huh?" Tori noticing the reoccurring design scheme.

"Indeed… Now let's get you two a proper tour of your new…"He changes the subject not wanting to get into his boss/friend's taste in décor.

"Head Quarters." Jade describing their new home from home.

"Alright, follow me." He heads out of the master bedroom down a short hall with the restroom on the left opening into the common area. The sterile white ultra-modern kitchen, all appliances are hidden inside the walls right in front of where they would normally sit, flows into the large naturally lit living room. Some big potted plants decorate the living room, furnished only by a black leather couch, an impressive flat screen, two black leather recliners, and several end-tables, there are no pictures to speak of. Aside from the almost entirely medium tinted glass ceiling and exterior wall that's the extent of the living room.

A set of stairs follows the wall of the entrance hall up to the second story,

"Those stairs lead to the guest rooms. The door at the bottom of the stairs leads to the study." He points to the aforementioned stairs and door. He figures that they'll be in the latter soon enough and as for the former…well everyone gets tired.

"And the traps?" Tori not wanting any repeats of what happened at the manor.

"To my knowledge none of them are actually traps, so you two should be fine if you accidentally activate something." He walks down the hall that leads to an elevator with a door on either side of the hall. As they come upon the intersection,

"To the left is the war-room, I believe you will be familiar with the general setup." They nod in response.

"To the right is his office. This building is his current central office…well that room is anyway." He begins to head for the elevator,

"Don't worry I won't be informing the Legion of your presence at the Twelfth. Don't want you two being abducted for two weeks while they debrief you for meeting the **boss**. Or two months for entering two of his homes. And if you need anything I'll be downstairs." He waves as the elevator doors close. Tori and Jade looked at each other and silently agreed that the Legion not finding them would be a good thing.

They head back down the hall toward the grand opening that is the living room, Tori zeros in on the study. Jade however does pause to take in the large open room with an exterior door in the glass wall that leads out to a patio balcony, she doesn't delay too long before following Tori into the study.

The more archaic room had its walls adorned with heavy wooden book cases, except for the center of the back wall which was the location of a consul similar to one of the ones in the war-room. At the center of the room is a large oak table with several comfy brown leather bound business swivel chairs surrounding it.

Tori skims the shelves filled with almost all surprising newer books while Jade heads right for the consul. Sitting in one of the divinely comfortable chairs she calls up the display with a touch.

"I found the archive... Hey, there's also a digital copy of ever book in here." Jade is swiftly moving her fingers about the controls.

"Which book has goblins?" Tori comes over leaning on the back of her chair.

"You sure you don't want the digital copy?" Jade not sure why she wouldn't want the easier access.

"I'll take the hardcopy, you can use the database." She looks down with a smile.

"Fine by me…Section five, shelf three, Creature Record Vol. II." She points over to the appropriate section.

"Thanks. Maybe you should try Dragoons." As Tori is moving away.

"Already on it." Jade is moving her fingers across the display calling up the file.

"Okay, Pinocchio." Tori can't help but think how nerdy she looks at the consul, geeking out.

"Geeks have wet dreams about this kind of sweet hardware. So to a normal person like me it is still fascinating." She's trying to hide her pleasure in using this cutting-edge tech, but isn't doing very well.

"Are you sure I don't need to give you two some **private** time?" Tori relishes their return to teasing as she looks over with one eye while still scanning the shelf.

"Maybe later, or you could join us?" She looks over her shoulder with a seductive grin.

"No, I think you two can manage without me." Tori returns her full attention to the shelf and quickly finds the desired copy,

"Got it." She declares as she takes the book to the table and grabs her own comfy chair.

After flipping to the index she finds the wanted page, gliding back through the pages she stops at a sketch of a goblin. She dives into the chapter.

Twenty minutes later,

"Well that makes me feel better." Tori leans back releasing a deep breath, a sense of relief splattered across her face.

"What did you find?" Jade turns the chair with an effortless spin, now facing Tori. Tori leans forward and begins to explain her joy,

"'Goblins in general will relentlessly pursue a target regardless of the threat the prey provides to the goblin.' There is a side note on Wood Goblins. 'Wolgerrun are even more consumed with pursuit despite being widely considered smarter than their kin. They also posse an incredible arrogance that won't allow them to be wrong or parley.'" After finishing she leans back again but keeps her eyes on Jade.

"So are you okay with your first kill?" Jade's voice is sincere.

"Yeah, I was pretty okay before, but now I feel much better." She smiles.

"Good, don't want you cracking in a fight, Vega." A bit mocking.

"Gee Thanks, anything on us?" Feeling the love she changes gears. Jade waves her over,

"Plenty. Come over here." Tori maneuvers around the table and then kicks off in Jade's direction. She spins around before she hits the bookcase on Jade's right and uses her legs to brace against the shelves to slow herself. After maneuvering again to be beside Jade,

"Having fun?" Jade has a rather amused smile on her face.

"Indubitably, my dear West." Tori takes a cheesy British accent.

"Holms?" Jade not sure which of the classic fictional characters she is.

"Watson." Tori points at herself, deciding to change her character.

"Thank you doctor. Now shall we uncover the secrets of the Dragon-kin." Now Jade takes the accent as well.

"But my dear West I thought we decided on Dragoon?"

"The terminology is variable and as they say 'variety is the spice of life', Vega."

"If you say so, West. I won't argue."

"I like you better as Watson."

"You would. Now let's actually learn about us." Tori, wishing to return to the task at hand, loses her improving ascent.

"Killjoy. Fine read this." Jade teases as she calls up an earlier document and allows Tori to begin reading.

* * *

**AN:** '_Patience is a virtue.' _

Legate = legion commander, so James is the Second Legate...so if at any point I call him a legate you'll know why.

**Interesting Story Idea (ISI)**: Jade as Sherlock Holms and Tori as Watson, because Jade is definately the more calm calculating one and Tori more human. **Not** going to write it myself, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.


	14. Flying Sounds Cool

AN: Finally somethin concrete on Dragon-kin.

* * *

Tori reads over the document.

'_Dragon-kin – also known as Dragoons, Dragon-Knights, Dragon-Mages, Dragon-Priests or in the ancient tongue- Dazragonics._

_Dragon-kin are half-blood fusions of humans or human like sentient beings born of this world and dragon blood created by a mystical contract with the god Drumdracar._

_**Warning:**__ Binding contracts require the terms of service to be met or the contract will be broken resulting in the death of the recipient of the blood. _

_Dragon-kin are the second servants of Lord Drumdracar. They act as peacekeepers, though originally they only acted as gatekeepers protecting this realm from beings from other realms. What prompted this change in duty is still unknown._

_Dragon-kin like most half-bloods are able to transform at will without any external stimuli. However they are the only half-bloods that possess staged transformations- see illustrations.'_

Tori looks at Jade who promptly scrolls down to two sketches, one is identical to Charles's statue form. But the second looks much more like Jade's idea of a dragon,

"See, dragons have wings." Jade proud of the obvious.

"Irot doesn't." Tori brings a sharp tongue.

"He's still young." She disregards the evidence as inconclusive.

"So we can turn into that." Tori points at the second picture highlighting the large powerful looking scaled bat wings adorned with spikes and the bone-plating that covers most of the body in place of the scaled skin. Not to detract from the spikes that run down the back, the larger heavier looking body, and the spike blades that line the forearms and shins.

"Flying sounds cool." Jade has a cocky grin.

"But look at all that armor. How could you get off the ground?"

"Magic." She states flatly.

"Is that your explanation for everything?"

"Keep reading." Tori turns her attention back to the screen,

'_Dragon-kin possess many of the same abilities of other half-bloods including; accelerated regeneration, enhanced strength, increased speed and agility, keen eyes and night-vision, and a powerful sense of smell and hearing. These abilities translate into a lesser form when the half-blood is in 'human' form._

_The abilities unique to the Dragon-kin are; greatly improved endurance, resilience to many forms of lesser magic, greater mana control and a deep mana pool, and in the second transformation the ability to fly._

_**Side note**__: despite the wings, all dragons, including dragon-kin, use magic to manipulate gravity, but use the wings as focal apparatuses for the magic. The wings are also used in tangent with the tail as guiding and stabilizing instruments during flight. This manipulation of gravity is a subconscious action relying on the naturally deep pool of mana that all Dragon-kin possess.'_

"Mana?"

"Chi, chakra, aura, life energy, life force, or essence. Just another name for the energy used to power spells. Different word, different culture, different magic." Jade pulls up another widow with a basic manual on understanding the rudimentary history of magic.

"You seem to have gone a bit far with the research, Jade." Tori with humor in her throat.

"It's interesting, fun, and if you tell anyone **I'll kill you**." Jade turns with a stern expression as she slides her thumb backwards across her own throat.

"Yeah, I'm going to tell everyone about the secret lair monster research." Sarcasm drips from her lips.

"Just finish the section off." Jade waves over to the screen, Tori complies with a smile,

'_Unlike most half-bloods, dragon-kin do not display any markings to show gender or age. Instead their size increases by roughly twelve inches per one hundred years of life starting at eight feet. The maximum life expectancy of a dragon-kin is one thousand years equaling an average height of eighteen feet upon death. However the tallest dragon-kin recorded was twenty-one feet from horn to toe._

_**Advisory**__: The body of a dragon-kin increases in thickness, muscle and bone size, and density as its height grows. As they age all their abilities grow, unlike humans and many other species including other half-bloods, dragon-kin don't become decrepit as they age. They don't die of old age but of a magical condition that forces them to parish at one thousand years.'_

Tori looks over at Jade, but she just waves her to continue.

'_**Warning**__: Killing a Dragon-kin is a high crime against the followers of Drumdracar and the Legion of Shadows, punishable by death.'_

"We're a protected species?" She thinks about how strange it is to be protected as a creature not just as a human.

"Seems that way." Jade answers with a lazy shrug.

"That's it?" Returning to the limited document.

"Pretty much, sorry no extra voices in the head mentioned."

"Guess I'm crazy." Tori states with a sigh and a hint of depression.

"We could ask Weston." Jade suggests noticing her friend's tone.

"I…don't know if I want him thinking I'm insane." Showing concern at what he might think of having a cracked replacement.

"He might be able to help." Jade places her hand on Tori's shoulder and speaks hearteningly.

"…._fine_…" Tori's head is down as she whispers a begrudging answer.

"Don't worry I'm sure he has answers." She adds more heart to her encouragement.

"Thanks, Jade." Tori looks up with a light smile.

"Enough mush. What else should we look up?" Jade returns to a more casual tone.

"Edaj and Irot." Tori returning from her numbness.

"Do you want the book?...Why did I even ask….Section five, shelf three, Great Beast Archon." Tori is already back to the previous shelf retrieving the tome. She pulls her chair over to the table and begins searching for dragons. Jade busies herself with tigers.

* * *

Half an hour intense research later,

"Certainly is a lot more on dragons than on dragoons." Looking up while rubbing her eyes.

"Same with big cats. What did you find?" Jade turns back to face Tori.

"The reason Irot doesn't have wings is because sky-dragons use the gravity magic thing that we can, but more naturally than all other dragons so they don't need the focusing thingy."

"Damn. I guess not all dragons have wings." Jade disappointed. Tori is hesitant to reveal the next bit of information,

"…Well, he will grow small vestigial wings as he matures."

"Ha, all dragons do have wings." Jade feeling superior for being right after all.

"Yes, you were right."

"Music to my ears." She's still gloating.

"Whatever. What about Edaj's spikes?" Tori's anxious to move on. Jade smiling big returns to the consul,

"…They're the first part of bone-plate armor that will cover the back and shoulders as well as the top of the head. In fact more spines will appear down the tail and…a horn on her…head." Hesitant to reveal that because of her earlier joke about a certain single horned creature.

"So…she will be a…unicorn-tiger?" Tori fighting the urge to laugh.

"Actually unicorns aren't exactly innocent and are far from harmless." She adds a wicked grin as she looks back at Tori, her hesitation was obviously a trap. Tori just stares at her questioningly.

"They are carnivorous, can run up to one hundred and ten mph, have venomous fangs, can grow their horn up to four feet long, and when in direct sunlight…light themselves on fire." Still a little freaked by that last part she shudders.

"You're kidding, right? Right?" Tori gets nervous at the answer she will receive.

"Nope, they are carnivorous spear-tipped 110mph fireballs that can inject lethal venom." She has the most devilish smile.

"Holy Shit! How in the hell could anyone think they were harmless?" Tori's wide eyed.

"It says…'tactical misinformation'." She air quotes the explanation lazily before casting an even lazier,

"Doesn't specify."

"Charles was right, that is surprising… and terrifying." A shiver runs down Tori's spine as she pushes an image of the creature on fire out of her head.

"I think I like unicorns now. Maybe get a glass one for my room." Jade's tone is purely joking, which elicits a sigh/eye-roll combo plus a,

"Of course you would be the one to embrace them **now**."

"Maybe a poster." Jade continues as if she hadn't heard Tori at all.

"Right, was there anything else about war-tigers?" Having caught her friend's thin smile she shifts the topic back to the reason they came here.

"…Uhm…oh, yeah...she's going to grow to nine feet tall at the shoulder and be about twenty feet long with the tail."

"Big…Irot's going to be about one hundred feet long and seven thick at the chest and stomach." She beams with pride.

"Wow…then again, he's a dragon." Her shock rapidly diminishes after remembering what he is.

"He doesn't breathe fire, none of them except the Pyro-dragons breath fire. And they are basically fire." She's sad to admit that he can't breathe fire like all the mythology suggested. Then the thought of him being unable to burn down her house brings a smile.

"She doesn't roar. Didn't say why." She's disappointed that she'll never hear Edaj's booming roar.

"Strange a tiger not roaring….Uhm…Jade?"

"Yeah, Vega."

"How long did it say it will take for Edaj to mature?" She gets the feeling she already knows the answer but has to confirm.

"One thousand years and I'm guessing that it's the same for Irot."

"Yeah. That means…"

"A thousand years of life."

Up until now Tori has let most of the information she's just received settle, not really thinking about it. But now she can't help but wonder how long she's going to be around. Will she actually have to walk the Earth for a thousand years bound to serve a green giant. Her family's going to age and she's just going to keep going.

Jade looks over seeing the same face she feels she's wearing,

"At least you got me." Tori breaks her trance and looks over snickering.

"This is why I'm not friendly." Jade spins around arms thrown up in defeat.

"No, it isn't. But Jade a thousand years. Everyone we…" Tori is quickly returning to somber.

"I'm fully aware. But we could die long before that. We aren't immortal, just long lived." The sentiment isn't any comfort to the gloomy superior spellcaster.

"I'm not sure that's comforting….But there's absolutely a heaven so it doesn't really matter. We'll see them again anyway." Tori falling on her belief in heaven as some semblance of comfort. While she tries in vain to cheer herself up Jade returns to the consul and researches heaven,

"…And you're right. Database confirms there is without a doubt a heaven. Actually, many heavens." Jade speaks casually, but is very jubilant inside.

"What?" Tori is genuinely stunned by the immeasurable good news and a bit interested in that last part as well.

"Valhalla. Elision Fields. Heaven. Gardens of Peace. Etc. Etc. There are a lot of different good places you can go when you die." She lists them off still in her calm tone.

"See, a thousand years from now we can see everyone again, so I'm just going to suffer centuries with you and then restful bliss." Tori is joyful, so much so she can return to joshing with her friend.

"You **suffer**; I've got to deal with you for an **eon**. I'm hoping for an honorable death in fifty years, because that's my limit on Vega." Jade biting playfully.

"I know you're lying. But the same back at you."

"Terrible comeback, you always ruin the fun."

"No I don't. I just wanted to ask you something. We can't tell anyone that there is a…are many paradises awaiting them."

"That's not a question."

"I was getting to it….No, I forgot what it was, Thanks." Tori very bitter at the loss of her question.

"If you can't remember it, it wasn't important anyway." Jade mocks with sweet venom.

"No it was…Damn it! What was it?...Crap. Crap. Crap…" Tori is getting angry at her failure to retrieve the question.

"Calm down, Vega. Stressing over it won't help it come to you." In a stern and surprisingly kind voice Jade talks her down.

"….Fine…." She sighs deeply and stops trying.

"You know I bet that's the point of paradise; not to know it's real because of evidence but because of faith. Sort of a trial to make sure you're worthy. The only thing the data says about Heaven is 'be true to yourself and your moral conviction will guide you.'" Jade takes a Zen master's demeanor.

"And that was my question." Smiling at having just remembered her elusive inquire.

"What was?"

"The first part, it answered my question."

"See, stop trying so hard and it came to you." Jade indulging in being right once again.

"No, it came to you."

"The universe must like me better." Riding her wave of superiority.

"Well then, let's hope it does kill you in fifty years."

"Not a chance, I'm sticking around to make you _suffer_." Her grin is diabolically sweet.

* * *

AN: Unicorns... :{)

_'Never let preconception distort preception,_

_...Unless you want a four foot long horn through your chest.'_


	15. Order or Not to Order

**AN:** Is it nice to see a helpful Jade? Find out the answer to this and more by reading ahead...

* * *

Jade shuts down the archive as Tori puts the books back on the shelf. The clock beside the door reads 5:37. They could have easily been lost in the sea of data for untold hours, but they both decided with an unspoken nod that the day was already burned out and there was no point pushing themselves, especially considering that they could come here any time they needed to.

"Feel, better?" Jade half-asking as she makes her way into the living-room.

"Somewhat…Jade?" Tori answers as she slides into a nervous question while following Jade.

"Yes, Vega." Jade paying more attention as she heads for the front entrance.

"How can you be so…relaxed about everything?" Tori has regained her depressed demeanor.

"Because I already went through the '_I've gone crazy'_ thing, in fact that was back at Roseborn. So I'm just taking the ride on this 'crazy-train' and seeing where it will take me. I don't have any real control over all the shit that keeps happening, so I'm basically going to just enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts." Jade answers with an 'I don't give a crap' attitude as she passes through the doorway.

"That's really reckless, Jade." Tori follows her onto the elevator.

"And?"

"Shouldn't you care more?"

"I never said I didn't care about the ride…I do. That's why I'm here learning about tigers, dragoons, and goblins. I do want to be prepared for whatever the hell comes at us next, but I know that if the last four days is any testament to things to come then…can we really be prepared?" Jade takes a much more serious tone treating her answer with a lot more gravity.

"That's because we've been bombarded by so much all at once, but as we start to get our barring and things start slowing down…we'll be fine." Tori has come out of her stupor to turn around Jade's unhealthy opinion of their fate.

"Tori, I know. Feel better now?" Jade cracks a beautifully smug grin.

"You were just messing with me?" Tori gets hit by the realization of her friend's acting.

"I don't know. Do you actually feel better now?" In a kind and sincere voice. Tori waits a second before answering,

"…Yes, thank you Jade." Tori smiles thinking about how Jade just made her convince herself that things will work out just like…her second inner voice.

"Good, because there is no way in **Hell** I'm going to deal with a depressed Tori for a thousand years." Tori hugs her in response, Jade gives her second before pushing her off,

"Not without my permission." She keeps a level but very stern tone.

"You liked it." Tori teases with a smile.

"No, I didn't." Jade letting anger flow into her declaration.

"I know the truth, you know the truth. Why argue?" Tori more or less ignores Jade statement.

"Vega." She grits her teeth saying the word with pure hate.

"West." Tori answers the hate with sweet teasing.

Jade looks away head held high refusing any further conversation.

The doors open to the lobby.

"Find everything okay?" Mr. Cole looks over at them from behind the counter.

"We found most of what we were looking for. Thank you." Tori walks over to the counter.

"No problem. It's a pity Charles is stone. I'm sure he could answer most of your questions."

"Yeah…um Mr. Cole?" Tori leans on the counter nervous about the question to come.

"James." He corrects her with a smile.

"James…what was that you said earlier about two months?"

"Standard operating procedure for civilians is a full debrief after an encounter with the weird. Of course if you aren't debriefed immediately then they interrogate you; find out what you saw, who you told, and why you weren't debriefed. And if you meet the boss and go into his homes…well that's going to be a long interrogation."

"Paranoid group aren't you?" Jade chimes in leaning against the opposite wall.

"Yes and no. Monster hunting works best as a secret. If everyone knew about them then certain types of people would roll around killing anything not human and not all creatures are bad. There are a fair share of harmless and downright friendly oddities out there that would get killed and many of the inexperienced fake hunters would get killed by either the good protecting themselves or the bad. Either way it would cause a big dust up socially and politically, causing even more friendlies to get hurt. We humans have trouble treating each other right, so how would we be able to handle…freaks?"

"…I understand." Tori knows that the logic is sound but is sadden by the reality of it as well. James notices Tori's reaction and tries to be somewhat comforting,

"I'm sorry…I'm just trying to be completely honest about the world in which you now walk."

"Thanks for that. And don't worry we won't say anything."

"I got that from you when I first saw you, plus you have yet to say anything about our Tarjuh friend." He motions more to Jade than Tori.

"You know Dan?" Jade's surprise causes her to step away from the wall and approach the counter.

"Same boss, same city. He sometimes comes around. Odd fellow but not a _bad_ guy." James does think about one time when the serpent man stole one of his donuts with that damn tongue, it elicits a brief eye twitch.

"Yeah… got the same vibe." Jade now leans her elbows on the counter as she thinks about the 'girlfriend' comment with her own eye-twitch. Tori notices both but files it away as unimportant…for now.

"Well, if you two are going to be coming around more, then you'll be seeing more of him and the rest of the crew as well." He thinks about one member in particular that is just going to love these two… _'heheheh…she's going to kill me._' His face starts to cringe but is interrupted by Tori,

"The rest?"

"It takes a lot more than three people to keep Weston's personal affairs running smoothly. But you two don't have to worry about that right now. You'll meet them all in due time."

"How many are there?" Jade casts a wary eye.

"Monster aware, non-Legion personnel in LA… six-ish, not including those you've already met. None of them would report you and I'm sure we will prove ourselves invaluable to you." He smiles lightly as he forces the thought of Charles's personal assistant killing him away.

"Why would you help us?" Tori a bit confused by this offer.

"You two are young unaffiliated hunters just starting out… I figure you might just need our assistance now and then."

"Should we…join an order?" Tori asks now considering their lack of experience and training going up against who knows what.

"…That depends on many things." He's uncomfortable with the very open ended question.

"Like?" Jade tunes back in.

"Which order would you want to join?"

"How many are there?" Tori takes back the lead.

"Hundreds. Of course many are in other countries. So National…couple dozen." He strokes his beard as he calculates the general numbers.

"Any suggestions?" Jade edges back in almost as if competing with her friend.

"Do you two intend on sticking around here for a while?"

"We still have school. So for a little while at least." Tori would like to finish her stay at Hollywood Arts and to more importantly stay with her family and friends a little longer.

"Then…there aren't any worth mentioning." He considers the subject before dropping the possibility.

"Why not?" Tori quickly asks before Jade. Jade raises an eyebrow and then laughs to herself.

"Any order worth joining requires you train and serve where you don't have family, so they won't distract you. These reputable orders require said training for at least six months, before you see any real action."

"I get the feeling 'reputable' implies that there are others?" Jade slips in smoothly asking as if she's accusing James of hiding something.

"There are thousands of **groups** worldwide, but they aren't orders. Just bands of folks ranging from kids to paramilitary psychos. A few of them might be alright, but lack the funding or numbers to be considered orders. They also aren't regulated by Legion training standards, we don't send the inexperienced in to Hell. They might throw you to the wolves on your first night."

"Already know the feeling." Jade grins.

"Well…that was unintentional. My advice is stay far away from them. Stick to the known orders or stay freelance."

"I guess freelance it is then." Tori gets back in.

"Fine by me." Jade still smiling says coolly.

"There are facilities inside this building you can use for training. Basement level two is well equipped and I would be happy to pass on my years of experience."

"Thank you, we'll be back soon." Tori nods her head as she speaks.

"Just not on Sundays, that's everyone's day off around here. Charles says 'Sunday is the day of peace, enjoy it. I know I will.' Then he disappears for the day. Most of which is spent at the Long-shin Café. You two should check it out tomorrow. He has a private table on the balcony; drinks tea, eats pasties, and enjoys the paper. He isn't going to be using it for a while."

"That's nice, but…" Tori has other plans.

"No buts. You two enjoy fine tea or coffee and delicious pastries." He cuts in sharply.

"How fine is the coffee?" Jade's coffee sense is tingling.

"Some of the finest blends from around the world and something Charles created called 'Lucifer's Brew'. Strong…really strong coffee that could raise the dead." He remembers drinking the special brew during rough nights back in the Legion and the effect it has on the tired.

"Well, I might stop by." Jade smiles.

"I'll tell them to allow Jade West and Tori Vega to use the table."

"I don't ever remember telling you our names." Jade's smile disappears in favor of a questioning smirk.

"I know, quite rude of you. Dan sent me your background checks."

"Sorry about not introducing ourselves." Tori blushes slightly at forgetting her manners.

"Not a problem, just the doorman after all. Now if you'll excuse me my shift is almost over." He feigns hurt.

"Thank you, for everything, Mr. Cole. And again sorry."

"See you girls around." He stands, walks to the main elevators, and gives a wave.

As the girls leave the lobby the younger doorman enters, salutes them crisply, and hurries to the elevator before either can respond. Jade leans over to Tori,

"That was weird."

"Yeah."

They proceed to Tori's car and head for the West residence.

* * *

"See ya', Jade." Tori is waiting for her to exit the car so she can drive off.

"Tomorrow for tea?" Jade asks with a smile.

"Really?" The shock of the question is splashed across Tori's face.

"Why not? It won't take an hour." Jade waves it off as if it wasn't anything important.

"The last time I heard that I ended up explaining 'rough lesbian sex' to my mom." Tori had completely forgotten to share that story with Jade, whose response is a raised eyebrow, which forces Tori to,

"Trina showed my mom my text history. On which was **someone's** reference to 'rough lesbian sex'. So I had to explain that to her. She actually thought I was gay and that you were my girlfriend." The finger Tori pokes Jade with as she snickers might have been broken off if she had tried this only a week earlier (Not that Jade would have even been in her car a week ago, but still.), but instead she simply bats it away as she speaks,

"As if, I could do so much better than you, Vega." Jade couldn't help herself, even throwing a little diva hair flip as she looks away.

"That's not what you said the other night." Tori indulges the teasing.

"I was bored and you were there, nothing else." Jade rolls her eyes playfully.

"Could've fooled me, especially with all the moaning and 'Oh God's." She closes her eyes and mouths the 'Oh God's.

"You know we're the only ones here, right?" Jade asks smugly.

"Well, you started it." In a slightly childish tone Tori pouts.

"Tomorrow for tea and coffee at seven." Jade smiles and changes the subject as she finally gets out of the car.

"I'll be there, West." She again dons her cheesy British ascent.

"Cheery-O, Vega." Jade mimics her.

Jade heads inside as Tori pulls away and heads home.

* * *

**AN:** Does anyone know if Jade has any other family aside from her stoic father?

I would love any info at all, because it's hard to write Jade bits without much family. I mean with Tori I have Trina and both parents to draw from, but not Jade and I feel that in the next chapter that has caused an imbalance between their individual stories...I do have a way around that for now but it's a little wierd...

And to those of you who say **_'just write your own Jade family into existence, I mean this is fan fiction.'_**, Well technically I could, but I would rather stay true to their original backstories as a point of reference to keep the story on a somewhat stable bearing...plus it's just how I work.

:{)


	16. I Dream About You, Sometimes

**AN:** A massive **THANK YOU **to **sloth13** for your invaluable input. I'll try to use what you gave me in later chapters… no promises, but I do see some potential.

And as for this chapter… well its Jade time and also Tori time, but not together. You'll understand…

* * *

Tori reaches her house in no time,

"Tori, how was your day?" Mrs. Vega greets her daughter as she's about to sit down at the table.

"Great, found out about this nice little café." Tori smiles as she walks over to the table.

"Going to take your girlfriend there?" Trina mocks with poison.

"Trina!" Mrs. Vega can't believe her older daughter is still being so petty.

"She's not my girlfriend, but yes we thought we'd check it out. She has a thing for coffee and it's supposed to have the best." Tori keeps a calm tone and her smile.

"Sounds like a date." Trina continues with more venom.

"Trina, that's enough." Her mother is not amused.

"It does doesn't it? I'm sure she'll tease Beck about us going there together." Tori's smile widens, mostly to increase her sister's agitation.

"She's still dating him? Aren't you jealous?" Despite the warning she doesn't seem to get it.

"Trina, go to your room." Mrs. Vega rises pointing to the stairs.

"Mom!"

"March." Her tone is as lethal as her glare. She then turns to Tori and changes gears,

"Sorry, honey."

"It's alright. She's just…Trina." She laughs lightly.

"I know, so where did you go?" Her mother wishes to change the subject.

"The park, fell asleep for a few hours then met up with Jade and ran into Mr. Weston. That's where we heard about the café. He said he would've liked to apologize to you about the other night, but he's heading on a global expedition looking for signs of lost civilizations." She lies like an artist, keeping the whole exchange as casual as possible.

"He sounds like an interesting man."

"In the short time I've known him…" Tori considers the man named Weston while searching for the right adjective,

"Impossible might be a better fit." She feels that Jade's choice fills the requirement nicely.

"Guess _**The**_ _**Most Interesting Man in the World **_has competition." Mr. Vega finally speaks.

"Not even close." They all laugh at the light humor.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today, honey."

"I really did, despite how it started." Tori teases lightly at the earlier debacle.

"Still sorry about that."

"Still understanding."

Tori and family proceed to enjoy dinner minus Trina, best family meal in years.

Irot is resting comfortably on Tori's pillow as she calls Andre,

"Hey, Andre."

"Hey, Tor."

"Sorry about earlier. I went for a hike." She calmly lies. She is on fire today…literally if you count earlier.

"A hike? Really? We could've come with you." Andre is surprised at not being invited on a different activity than their usual routine, especially in such nice hiking weather.

"I just wanted some time alone. This week has been…weird." Realizing her mistake she covers by slyly shifting the subject.

"Yeah, you're telling me. You and Jade becoming friends…really weird." He may have been freaked by that, but Tori was thinking to herself about the werewolves, goblin, dragoonification, and the magic,

"That was a strange, good but strange." She reaches over and lightly strokes the back of Irot's head, eliciting a gentle purring sound, a little more ruff and significantly deeper than Edaj's…but still purring.

"Well it would be nicer without the jokes." She could hear the agitation in his voice so she plays on his 'playa' style,

"Come on two girls, that's not hot to you?"

"….well…" He coughs out the word.

"See, I'm right." Tori is beaming and her voice translates it.

"Maybe…but Tor…it's still a bit cruel. One Jade is enough."

"I recall a while ago you were in lo…" Tori taunts.

"Was! The key there is that I **was** crushing on Jade." He stresses and she pushes,

"And me dressed as her."

"..."

"I get it; she is pretty amazing under her Jade-i-ness armor. If I batted for that team I'd take a few cuts." Tori goes back to a more casual tone to ease her silent friend. Irot has rolled over demanding than his long chest receive a little attention. Tori complies with a light smile and deft fingers gliding along the thin scales.

"What's with the baseball references?"

"I don't know. Guess seeing all those _hot_ guys running around the field caused a sub-conscious desire to learn more."

"Calm down Robbie. Didn't ask for a full psychological analysis."

"Why do people keep calling me Robbie? So I nerd out every now and then, so what?"

"Just don't start talking to puppets or buy a huge PearPad."

"No problems there. So how did your day go?" Fishing for any topic that would not require her to continue lying, she was getting good but didn't want to push it.

"Cat." He sighs so heavily it is evident through the phone.

"I wish I didn't know what that meant." She temporarily stops scratching Irot and rubs her head remembering the times Cat has given her headaches.

"Me too. Me too."

"Did you have fun?"

"…" He shakes his hand in a so-so manner.

"I can't see you shaking your hand."

"Right, sorry. Cat moment."

"Maybe you should be the one worried about becoming Cat."

"Don't say that."

They continue talking for at least an hour catching up on the last four days. Tori keeps the conversation focused on Andre, but when she has to answer she tells half-truths. She wishes she could tell him and knows that he would be cool with the truth, that's what a best friend is for. But this secret doesn't just involve her and she really doesn't want to…hurt Jade, especially with their budding friendship…which could last for a thousand years.

After the conversation finally ends Tori lays back on the bed and stares at the ceiling quickly losing herself in deep thought,

"_A thousand years. Most __**empires**__ don't last that long. How much is the world going to change? I wonder if we'll ever travel to other worlds….Maybe Jade and I will walk on another world in strange future clothes watching a green sunset. Or maybe ride strange animals while singing a new type of music….What will it be like to fly?_" The thought hits her as she looks over at the now sleeping dragon,

"_How long before you start floating around?_" Irot kicks in his sleep, Tori smiles at the adorable little leg turning.

"_One hundred feet long…hopefully by then I'll have a much bigger place for you to stay._" Out of nowhere it hits her,

"_I wonder what Charles's creature is. He has to have one, but we didn't see anything at the manor or penthouse. Maybe he got the unicorn...Unicorns…_" She shivers at the thought of the terrifying beasts.

"_What sicko would let children think they're sweet? Venomous. Flaming. Carnivorous…Poor Cat._" She can't help but feel sorry for her innocent friend,

"_Should I tell her, when we finally tell them?_" She is severely conflicted about the issue,

"_She deserves to know the truth, but…I don't have to tell her…unless we actually see one_." Her facial expression shifts from conflicted to devious to fear,

"_She'll want to run up to it…No I have to tell her._" Tori stark realization of the danger her friend could be in is far more motivation than her sweet innocent smile.

Her mind proceeds to wonder until she eventually falls to sleep.

* * *

Jade doesn't bother with dinner as she disappears into her room after having to leap over a small annoying dog, to whom she castes a sneer which causes it to yelp and run away, as she moves up the stairs. Edaj is nowhere in sight as she scans the room, the closet, the bathroom, and under the bed.

"Where are you?" At that a low growl is heard in the room. Jade looks from corner to corner, then another growl draws her attention to the ceiling at which…a black fur-ball drops onto Jade, who falls on her ass. She doesn't scream but instead laughs…

For whatever reason she was able to swiftly discern that it was Edaj and found it immensely amusing.

"How did you get up there?" Still on Jade's chest Edaj rubs her head against Jade's neck. Jade lays back still on the floor. Edaj lays down on top of her and closes her cerise eyes. Jade gently scratches Edaj's head and soon the cub begins purring, the vibration of said purring is reverberating in Jade's chest. This sensation is somewhat strange,

"You're weird, you know that right?" Edaj opens her eyes and looks at her and 'smiles'.

"Guess we're a match then." Jade smiles as Edaj closes her eyes again.

"I wonder if Irot does the same thing to Tori…And there I go again calling her Tori." Then she smiles to herself continuing the scratching of the tiger,

"I suppose it doesn't matter, you aren't going to tell her." Edaj responds by opening a single eye partially and smiles strangely, almost as if she's smirking.

"I don't like that look. It seems far too familiar." Jade is becoming uncomfortable. Edaj slowly reveals a single fang. Jade surrenders the discomfort for laughter,

"We really are a match….Irot must be terrible at comebacks." Edaj rolls her open eye. Jade again laughs this time with more energy.

She recovers enough to look up to find Edaj has quickly fallen asleep. Jade lays her head in her hands as she stares up at the ceiling.

"_The 'crazy-train' seems to be getting more worth the ride." _She whispers these words as her eyes get heavy. Before long she slips into sleep and gets visited by a rather interesting little dream, that she will **not** remember,

_Inside a nineteenth century twin story house cramped on a busy London street is Lady West, daughter of the Duke of Westfield, busily packing several bags. Ascending the stairs is Professor Arnold Giper, _

"_Lady West, are you ready yet?" The older man barely reaches five four and easily rounds out at two hundred pounds but is widely considered one of the most brilliant historians of the age and commands the appropriate respect from everyone except,_

"_Yes, Gip. I'm prepared for the voyage." Lady West the rebellious daughter who chose to indulge her brilliant mind and thirst for adventure instead of marrying a wealthy noble. In a dark green ankle length dress nicely accented with plenty of frill and fluff, the standard attire for a noblewoman of the era, she emerges from her room with only one of the bags. _

_As she greets the short man dressed in black she motions to her room and the two remaining bags on the floor. After he retrieves the bags he continues,_

"_Good, your new servant will be waiting at the docks with the package." He seems to struggle a bit as they descend the stairs. _

"_I don't like servants, Gip, they're always so…subservient." She grins deviously as she knows what is to come from the professor,_

"_I believe that's part of the reason why they call them servants, Lady West." He sets down the bags once they reach the bottom of the steps and moves to the door to motion for his coachman to retrieve them from here. As he returns she,_

"_Do you always have to be so literal?" He firmly grabs the ends of his open jacket and speaks more ostentatiously, _

"_I wouldn't be much of a history professor if I entertained flights of fancy."_

"_Strange you would say such a thing considering the amount of brilliant fiction inspired by history." She smirks as she motions to her study. He scoffs and seems to get haughtier,_

"_I have never indulged in fiction. I much prefer what is fact, that which can easily be proven and confirmed." She grins,_

"_I'm aware of how boring and meticulous you can be, Gip." As she turns toward the exit still holding her bag as if it weighted nothing he sighs,_

"_I do wish that you would stop calling me that, Lady West." He follows locking the door behind him. She ascends the carriage quickly and turns to reply,_

"_I'm aware. But I also rather enjoy the look on your face when I use it." He sighs as he closes the door and waves the coachman on._

_The carriage pulls into the docks and makes its way toward the waiting galleon 'Maria Rae'. The vessel was nothing terribly special save for the strange man who captained it, Captain Charles Weston: the man of a thousand lands; for it was said that he had indeed set foot upon at least a thousand separate lands. _

_Lady West steps down from the carriage and surrenders her bags to several sailors who quickly board the vessel. As she approaches the gangplank a young woman wearing slightly aged brown trousers and a simple grey shirt steps toward her,_

"_Ma'am, are you Lady West?" Her hair was hidden inside her cap but her voice was a dead giveaway that she was indeed a she. Lady West castes her eyes over the figure before her,_

"_Yes, are you my new…partner?" The very word servant did make her cringe so she chose a more suitable term, this choice makes her smile inwardly._

"_Partner, ma'am?" The girl is obviously confused by this, but Lady West dismisses it,_

"_Yes, now is that the package?" Pointing at the box setting beside the gangplank. _

"_Ye-yes, ma'am, it is." She moves to retrieve the package for the lady._

"_What's your name?" Amused by her nervousness Lady West inquires as she watches her lift the medium sized box._

"_Victoria, ma'am." While holding the box with both hands she smiles thinly._

"_Do you have a last name?" Lady's West's smirk is graced with amusement. She nods,_

"_Yes, ma'am. It's Vegaria."_

"_Vicky…no, maybe…" Lady West has never liked using a person's given name proper, but has always insisted on nicknames and now she muses over what exactly she will be calling this girl. Her train of thought is interrupted by a very nervous,_

"_I've always liked Tori, ma'am." She proceeds to roll this name around in her mouth,_

"_Tori, Tori…Tori…no, I don't think that'll do. I prefer…Vega, yes I like the sound of that. I'll call you Vega." Then she settles on something much more to her liking, but not necessarily Vega's,_

"_Yes, ma'am." Her voice doesn't seem as chipper or even as nervous, but more disappointed. But Lady West ignores it and proceeds with another very important topic,_

"_And stop calling me that. I'm Jade and that's all you'll call me, understand?" Her eyes match her playful, but uncompromising smile._

"_Yes, ma-Jade." She catches herself as Jade starts to harden her stare, but afterward releases a brilliant smile and moves forward and begins to ascend the ship's gangplank,_

"_Excellent, now we can proceed with this trip without fear of me pushing you overboard." The tone of her voice is kind enough, but Vega can feel the serious undertone and gulps before following her._

The rest is a haze as Jade slips into a series of other, much more intangible dreams.

When she awakens the next morning she is in the bed with Edaj curled up beside her, not sure how she got there and absolutely no memory of what drifted through her head.

"Sleepwalking? That or you're very strong." Jade looks over at the still sleeping Edaj, who is wearing a smile as she snores lightly.

Jade dismisses the idea and hits the shower.

Once she was done she noticed it was almost seven,

"Crap, Tori." She starts rushing to get dressed then something hits her,

"Why the hell am I rushing for Vega, of all people?" She slows down but is almost done.

Once dressed she grabs her keys and heads out after locking her door.

"Good morning, Jade." In a very monotonous voice Mr. West greets his daughter.

"Morning, Dad." She returns the greeting in a similar tone.

She hastily heads to the car and pulls away,

"I'm rushing again…must really want to try this coffee." The answer feels right so she dismisses the question.

* * *

Tori awoke just before she heard Trina walking down the hall. She got up and opened the door as Trina was about to knock,

"Good morning Trina. Did you sleep well?" Tori had a big stupidly happy grin as she asked the question sweetly. This of course made her sister huff in anger as she headed down the hall for the stairs. Tori turns around and smiles for real as she laughs inwardly.

"Irot, I think I could get used to that…even if I lose an hour of sleep every day." Irot yawns and coils his body hiding his head from the rays of light penetrating the room.

Tori laughs at the white serpent and grabs some clothes and heads for a long shower.

Once dressed in Sunday café attire she heads downstairs to her sister eating a bowl of cereal on the couch. Trina looked over with venomous eyes,

"Looking good for your date?"

"When exactly did you turn into Jade?"

"I'm nothing like that dyke freak." Trina's voice was soaked in malice.

"Don't call her that!" The fire in Tori's eyes and words could have melted a slab of solid iron. Trina was visible shaken at Tori's wrath but couldn't stop her mouth,

"Which one dyke or freak?"

"Either. Or you'll be a head of hair and maybe a few fingers short for school tomorrow." Tori's voice was as stern as a drill instructor and so was her stance. The fire didn't diminish in fact if you asked Trina it increased in intensity. Her only response was a gulp before she looked away and continued stuffing her face to avoid saying anything else.

Tori looked at her one last time before heading out the door. She took a deep breath,

"What the hell is she still so bitchy about?" She leaned against the wall when something hits her,

"_Were we supposed to meet there or was one of us supposed to pick up the other? We didn't ask for the location of the café."_ She sighs and pulls out her phone.

She composes the text, but before she can send it…Jade pulls up,

"You weren't waiting for me, were you?" Jade teases.

"No, I was just about to text you about today, but that is no longer necessary."

"Well are you going to get in or just stare?" Tori stands strait up and heads for the car,

"I'm coming." Jade starts to open her mouth but…_'too easy'_.

After Tori is buckled in, they pull away. Jade uses her GPS Navigatora to find the Long-shin Café.

* * *

**AN:** That wasn't too weird was it?

I don't know if I'll continue that or not, I guess it depends on if you guys want it to keep going. To be honest I have no idea what direction this dream scape is going to take, but you know it's going to be damn interesting…

**So weigh in and tell me what you think of my nineteenth century adventure dream scape for Jade. Yay or Nay?**

_'Input is always invaluable.'_


	17. Sunday Tea

**AN**: _'Don't judge people by their ancestry or by the name they bare, they __**will **__surprise you.'_

* * *

They step into the classic French style café after passing the heavy metal and frosted class tables outside seating several relaxed and very happy customers. Experiencing the air of joy surrounding them Tori can't help but smile as they approach the counter, even Jade in her coffee-less state cracks a light smile.

"Excuse me. Sunny." Tori reading the nametag adorning the red and gold uniform of the young Korean barista with short layered black hair highlighted with dark red.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Her ascent was as sweet as a Georgian peach and just as charmingly southern.

"I'm Tori Vega and this is Jade West. We're here about the table reserved for Mr. Weston."

"Of course Mr. Cole said you would be stopping by. Please follow me."

They trail her through the back and up a flight of stairs.

"Here we are. The Weston balcony." In the center on the tiny covered balcony is a frosted glass topped black metal table with two matching chairs fitted with amazingly soft cushions.

"Feels like Weston alright." Jade notices the etchings in the glass as the all too familiar symbols and shakes her head lightly.

"It's very lovely." Tori speaks kindly to the barista…a piece of advice, _'__**Don't be bitchy to the one handling your food and drinks.'**_

"Thank you. Would you also like his regular meal or would you like something else?" She is prepared to hand each girl a small menu.

"What is his regular?" Tori asks politely.

"Lucifer's brew and White Lotus tea with a few slices of banana nut bread, several raspberry cream filled donuts, and a random pastry he's never tried before." This starts to seem like a lot until they remember he stays here for several hours.

"I'll take the brew and the donuts." Jade answers casually with a slight twinge from her lack of coffee.

"I'll try the tea and the random pastry, please."

"Of course, I'll be back with your pick-me-ups." She smiles at Tori and disappears back through the double door leaving the girls on the covered balcony.

"I think she likes you." Jade looks through the doorway.

"What?" Tori follows her gaze.

"She smiled at you." Jade turns to Tori smiling wickedly. Tori rolls her eyes,

"That's because I wasn't rude."

"I still say she's into you." Jade shrugs.

"Don't worry I've only got eyes for you." Tori turns her tone seductive.

"I didn't say I was worried. I know you can't resist me, but if you'd like..." She slyly smiles.

"No I'm good." Tori goes more casual as she switches subjects, not wanting Sunny to walk in on their suggestive conversation,

"So how was yesterday's picnic?" Jade has a questioning look.

"Andre told me about yesterday."

"Well…it was really nice." She smiles at the memory, then frowns,

"Until they hijacked it."

"As I heard, it was still fun. I almost wish I had gone."

"Almost?"

"I threw fireballs." She grins impishly.

"'nough said." Jade raises a hand.

"I do wonder about the Frisbee incident." Tori looks at her with a raised eyebrow as the last words come out slowly.

"That was fun." Jade grins at the deed done.

"You did do it on purpose." Tori gasps.

"Actually, it was purely an accident." Jade feigning innocence.

"Really? Because hard plastic and soft fabric feel the exact same." Tori's sarcasm was blunt.

"When they interrupt your date for the nth time you might mistake a puppet for a Frisbee as well. It's not like I intended to throw Rex in that tree. Besides they got him down." She smirks.

"Here you are." Sunny has reappeared with the cups of tea and coffee.

"Thank you." Tori takes the tea and Jade accepts her coffee.

"Yeah, thanks." After Tori shoots her a look Jade halfheartedly thanks her.

"My pleasure, now be careful they can be potent. Your food will be here soon." She smiles sweetly.

"Thank you."

"Good." Jade doesn't want to play nice any more.

Sunny disappears like she appeared…swiftly and silently.

"She's quite. I never even heard her coming." Tori fixes her gaze on the entrance to the balcony.

"Bet you'd like to though." Her smile is devilish. Tori is confused until Jade's grin hits her,

"Wha…Jade! What is wrong with you?"

"Couldn't help myself." Jade keeps her grin. Tori just shakes her head. Jade feels that Tori isn't going to play any more right now,

"So…how's Irot?"

"He's okay, but he hasn't eaten anything since he hatched. I'm concerned." The worry is painted on her face.

"Edaj is the same, but she always seems full."

"Same with Irot. I even searched my room to make sure he didn't eat any of my stuff… and nothing."

"I don't know… Weston?" Jade said his name with absolute assurance that he had to know the answer to their query.

"Agreed, should I be writing down the stuff we need to ask him?" Tori pulls out her phone preparing a memo list.

"Couldn't hurt. What are the essential topics?" Jade places her elbows on the table then leans forward placing her chin on her knuckles,

"Irot and Edaj not eating is number one." Tori types it in.

"Two is Mind Council…telepathy/vision thing." Jade nods as it gets added.

"Three…" Tori is actually struggling to decide what could rank three given the sheer number of subjects.

"Transformation." Jade very interested in that particular subject. Tori complies and adds it,

"Four…spells in general and maybe a way to translate the book." Tori now adds her own favorite subject before continuing,

"Five…what exactly we're supposed to be doing. Monster hunting and protecting the world is kind of vague."

"I doubt we'll get past Irot and Edaj. He has a tendency of branching into new questions rather effortlessly." Jade scoffs.

"Here you are." Sunny again appears out of nowhere, this time with two plates.

"How do you do that?" Jade asks with a passing curiosity. Sunny knows exactly what she's talking about,

"Soft soled shoes, they reduce noise." She motions to her feet.

"Thank you for the…" Tori tries to recover from her friend's rudeness.

"Custard crapes with a lemon glaze. And here are your donuts." She places the exquisitely prepared desserts before Tori and the plate of mouthwatering circles of berry delight in front of Jade.

"Thanks." Jade finds some kindness in seeing the treats.

"Was there anything else I can do for you?" Sunny folds her hands in front of her with a smile.

"Well, if you're free Saturday my friend could use a date." Jade is casual as she smiles mischievously. Tori's eyes widen,

"She's kidding, I'm so sorry." Tori throws up her hands in front of her shaking them side to side.

"No problem… but if you change your mind." Sunny writes down her number on a napkin and slides it to the stunned brunette with a wink and delightful smile. She disappears again…shadow ninja style.

"Looks like I was right, as usual." Jade leans back in the chair with a shit-eating grin,

"So are you going to go?" Tori looks at her with light fire,

"No, I am not going on a date with a _girl_. I think the teasing is going to your head. I'm **not** gay."

"She seems to disagree." Jade casts her thumb at the door, then she smiles slyly,

"I've got no problem with you…liking girls."

"I don't like girls and she only agreed because you asked her. She would never have accepted if you hadn't."

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know."

"You are impossible. What possessed you to do that?" Tori shakes her head lightly.

"I wanted to prove to you that she was looking at you **that** way." She smirks.

"You are obsessed with being right, that's not healthy." Tori picks up her fork and waves it around in a casually threatening manner.

"Neither are these donuts, but I enjoy them both oh so much." She finally bites into one of the tasty treats. An overwhelming sensation of pure joy engulfs her mouth as the raspberry filling flows. The soft sweet container is a sugary ecstasy in and of its self, but combined with the raspberry cream…Heaven.

Tori notices Jade's eyes widen and then mellow. She uses her fork to pinch off a piece of one of the crapes. The lemon glaze is a tart contrast to the sweet custard wrapped in a perfect skin. The sensation she soon feels is a perfect mirror to Jade's.

Once the first bite is swallowed Jade finally gets to taste the dark brew she had been neglecting during her conversation. The warmth is cancelled by the rich extra strong blend as it caresses her tongue with a flavor that feels like an isolated tropical paradise. The aftertaste rocks her gently from bliss with the feeling of a warm spring breeze in a well shaded hammock. She slowly inhales the aroma as she returns to the café.

Tori is not normally a hot tea person but decides to give it a try. Her adventurous spirit is greatly rewarded as the warm liquid soothes her taste buds with what she would imagine is the crisp sunrise in a Chinese mountain village. The flavor is calming as the thoughts of Jade embarrassing/enraging her dissipates. Serenity befalls her and she lets it consume her in its relaxing embrace, feeling perfect harmony at this exact moment.

They slowly relish the rest of their confectioner's delights and otherworldly drinks. When they eventually adjust to the miracles' hold on their senses,

"These are amazing." Jade has never been so intoxicated by food.

"So are these and the tea." Tori motions to the last few bites of crap and then moans slightly at the tea.

"The coffee." Jade is high on flavor as she lays back smiling.

"Paradise." Tori speaks in a soft tone.

"Heaven." Jade responds in the same manner.

"Agreed."

"I see you enjoyed the confections." Sunny is standing at the table as if by magic.

"Enjoyed doesn't do the sensation justice." Jade looks up at Sunny smiling.

"I'm glad, I do put a lot of effort into making them just right." Sunny speaks as modestly as she can.

"You made these." Tori is stunned with eyes wide.

"It's a gift." Sunny blushes slightly.

"More like a blessing." Jade corrects her with eyes shut leaning back in her chair as far as possible.

"You're too kind." More blood flows into Sunny's reddening cheeks.

"No, when Jade gives you a complement not laced with hate or sarcasm it means you're talented beyond reason." Tori looks up at her with a kind smile, Sunny is beaming red.

"Thank you." She tries changing the subject before more blood flows to her glowing cheeks,

"Is there anything else I can get you?"

"The check before we order more and slip into an ecstasy coma."

"No charge." They both look at her in shock.

"Weston provides us with the majority of our best supplies including the tea leaves and coffee beans. In exchange no charge to his table. Since you two are at the table…" She motions to the table as if it were the barer of their great fortune.

"That's awesome. You'll be seeing us every Sunday until Charles returns from places unknown." Tori is happy to announce their return and receives no complaints from Jade.

"And I'll be happy to serve you more of my creations."

"You mean masterpieces." Jade corrects her as she praises the last donut.

"Thank you, please if you'll excuse me. I have a few 'masterpieces' in the works." Sunny has to escape before she passes out from the amount of blood occupying her face.

"No problem, I would hate to ruin anything this good for anyone." Jade has no problem dolling out the complements with a genuine smile. Sunny disappears through the door.

After finishing their sweet breakfast they head downstairs. But not before Jade slips the napkin into her pocket stealthily, she can only imagine the fun she is going to have with Tori with these digits. Sunny throws them a two fingered salute as they walk past, they respond with a wave and are out the door.

As they pull away,

"Spell practice?" Jade's eyes are almost begging.

"I kind of wanted to hang with the guys today. But you can go ahead…let me get you the spells I have." Tori pulls out her phone and sends the spells to Jade's phone.

"Thanks, but…" Jade actually seems disappointed.

"You want to show off your ma…amazing abilities with magic?" Tori corrects herself not wanting to use 'mad skills' again.

"Yeah, it's no fun if I can't show off." Her smug grin contains a little hint of a thank you, which Tori picks up on easily,

"Maybe later. We'll hang with the guys for a while and then cast as the sun goes down. Fire spells work better in the dark." The idea comes from nowhere and seems just as exciting to the one who thought of it as Jade,

"Mystic fireworks. I think that sounds like a blast…speaking of which…?" Jade looks over to Tori slyly.

"The one with 'koliyu' at the end." Jade thumbs down to it,

"Thanks, Vega." Her grin makes Tori smile as she lays back in the seat and enjoys the partial sun.

Half-way to their destination Tori has an inquiry,

"So what do you think they have planned?"

"Beck said Andre wants to go hiking. Weird right?" Jade cringes her face at the thought of hiking.

"…I may have said that was what I was doing yesterday, he seemed very disappointed I didn't invite them." Tori is timid to answer the rhetorically question.

"So I get to go hiking? Thanks, Vega." This 'thanks' was soaked in toxic sarcasm.

"I had no idea the guy liked hiking, I thought he would want to hang close to the park again for that girl he met…Tiffany." She snaps her fingers as she remembers the name from the previous night's talk.

"That blonde with the huge…" Tori cuts her off harshly,

"Jade!"

"I was going to say eyes, Jesus Vega. What's wrong with tits?" Jade quickly slides in the word while Tori lets down her guard. Tori seems to have expected it and counters with a grin,

"So you were checking her out?"

"No, but they were hard to miss. Double D easy."

"I didn't think bust was something Andre cared about." Tori ponders this information she didn't know about her friend.

"He's a guy the bigger the better, right?" Jade shrugs as she asks.

"I rather think that there is nothing wrong with a B or A." Tori crosses her arms as she steadfastly defends smaller chests.

"Sunny looked like a B, so you should be good." Jade cracks a mischievous grin as the words slide out.

"Damn it, Jade! I'm not going out with Sunny." Tori's tone has swiftly filled with anger.

"I'm just messing, Vega…You know the way you get so huffy makes me think you 'doff protest too much'." Jade ignores the mild anger Tori is exerting. Tori drops her anger for a calm imposing tone to unleash her fire as a stern scolding,

"Jade, I have no problem playing this little game with you and our friends, but not with people who don't know it's a joke. Especially not with someone who is actually gay. She might think we're some kind of assholes who think it's fun to make fun of her sexual orientation." After she finishes she keeps her eyes locked on Jade with unyielding eyes.

"Okay, Vega. I get it, no more fragging with Sunny." Jade takes the talking too like an innocent bystander, wanting to get the hell away from it.

"Or anyone we don't know." Tori's tone is slightly dulled but still commanding.

"You're a killjoy you know that?" Jade a bit irritated.

"I don't care, some things you just don't do." Tori keeps her authoritative tone as Jade simply rolls her eyes.

* * *

**AN:** Trust me you're going to want to remember Sunny, she makes another _interesting_ appearance…hahhahah ;)

'_The mask we wear in public almost never matches our true face.' _


	18. Through The Goblin Wood We Go

**AN:** This chapter is a little longer than normal, primarily because I really didn't want to break up the action scene…Yes, you heard me…er, read me…there will be action! So don't dally, read on…

* * *

Nearing eleven o'clock they meet up with their friends close to where Tori killed the goblin,

"Jade, put on your gun. I'm grabbing **the** duffle." Tori instructs as they pull in.

"Why?" Jade looks over to her in confusion.

"These are the goblin woods."

"Then we convince them to go elsewhere or leave all together." Jade doesn't even want to risk Beck finding out about monsters. Tori looks over at her a bit smugly,

"And how would you go about that?"

"Cougar sightings? Bear attacks? Skunk outbreak?" Jade lists a menagerie of excuses lazily without hesitating.

"I doubt Robbie would come out here without researching the general forest. So he would know if there was anything abnormally dangerous out here."

"Damn nerd." Jade continues inwardly cursing Robbie's obsession with not dying and knowing stupid things.

"You could leave but that doesn't mean anyone except Beck would leave with you. I can't say anything because of my talk with Andre." Tori continues her logic drive in a very convincing tone.

"Damn you, Vega." Jade's anger is subdued but still present as she parks the car.

"Goblins don't tend to engage groups unless they are very hungry or vastly outnumber them." Tori recalls more information from their prior research.

"So we could be good." Jade is not so much concerned with the goblins but Beck and the others finding out about the truth.

"I'm still bringing the duffle and I know you want to wear your piece." Jade grins in response as she pops the trunk. Tori smiles lightly as she evacuates the vehicle.

Upon exciting they quickly head around back of the car, Tori retrieves the duffle and hands Jade her holster. Jade adorns the accessory with blinding speed before she puts on Weston's vest then her jacket. Tori removes the pack and places it on her back, then slings the duffle over her shoulder. They're done before anyone can come over to them.

They walk over to their friends, who are dressed in hiking boots, small practical backpacks, and jeans, except for Robbie who is sporting long cargo shorts with high socks and an enormous pack the same size as him.

"What's with the oversized vest, Babe?" Beck laughs lightly at the garment draping past Jade's waist.

"Mr. Vega and I aren't the same size." She states flatly. If he was more observant he would noticed that the vest would have been too large for Mr. Vega as well, luckily he doesn't pay too much attention to Mr. Vega's body type.

"But why are you wearing it, you know instead of Tori?" He motions to Tori with a playful smirk.

"It looks better on me." Jade is blunt.

"She's right, besides I'm even smaller." Tori motions to her petite torso.

"It would look like a mini-dress on her. So I decided to wear it." She shrugs it off as nothing important.

"Whatever, as long as you're here it doesn't really matter." Beck decides to drop the topic as he slides up to Jade pulling her in for a kiss.

"Good, so can we get going?" Andre is quite egger to get this hike started. Beck and Jade break their kiss and look over at their friend with a twin glare.

"Let's go." Tori breaks the stare as she takes point, but as she passes Jade she gives her a sharp look. Jade fully understands the meaning and waits for the others to file in so she can bring up the rear.

They move out with Tori still in front with Andre beside her as Cat and Robbie take the center and Beck and Jade bring up the six.

"Hey Robbie why are you carrying that enormous pack?" Tori looks back over her shoulder.

"It was the only one that could fit everything." He nervously offers his response.

"Why did you bring so much? It's only a day hike." Beck speaks up.

"You never know what might happen. I brought a med kit and two pairs of extra clothes along with emergency survival gear." Robbie proudly defends his bag and all his gear.

"Seems like a bit much." Andre praying that the pack doesn't slow them down.

"I suppose I'd rather have it and not need it than not have it and need it." Tori makes the logical argument to help out the outnumbered ventriloquist.

"Okay _Sacagawea_. Stop defending _Clark_ and make sure _Lewis_ doesn't get us lost." Jade sharply cuts into those leading this escapade.

"Alright _Jefferson_, keep your wig on." Tori bites back. Jade smiles inwardly.

"My brother once wore a wig, until the cops made him give it back to the bald man in the black robe with a little hammer." Cat interrupts with one of her lovely short stories.

"I think that was a judge…and his toupee." Tori tries correcting her.

"Too pee? Do you have to pee Tori?" Another homerun for team Scatterbrain as Cat loses focus yet again.

"No, Cat I'm fine." Tori answers sweetly remaining patient with her friend.

"Well I have to, where is the bathroom?" She asks innocently while bouncing around in the little kid pee dance with her red pigtails bouncing along.

"Everywhere." Jade laughs lightly as Cat looks back in confusion.

"Come on I'll take you. Robbie do you have any TP in that mobile convenient store?" Tori eyes the cargo hauler.

"Actually, yes I do. Fifth pocket from the left, two down." Beck steps forward and retrieves the roll of bath tissue and tosses it to Tori.

"Thanks Robbie." She and Cat head off back down the trail they just made. The others take a seat and wait for the squirrel bladder to be emptied.

* * *

After a brief walk Tori finds a nice secluded spot,

"Here you go." Tori points to the spot as she hands her the TP,

"I'll be right here. Don't wander off after, okay."

"Kay-kay." She snatches the roll and heads behind the tree.

Tori crosses her arms as she keeps look out. Not three seconds later she spots a small green man a few yards on the other side of the path,

"_Crap…oh well…Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu."_ The all too familiar words slide off her lips as she fires the blue ball at the goblin staring right at her with hunger in its eyes. He drops immediately.

Tori stealthfully moves over to the fallen creature and picks him up, checking to make sure Cat is still preoccupied before she moves him further from the path. Swiftly she covers the foul smelling green man in leaves and then gets back in position as Cat rounds the tree,

"_That was close."_ The whisper isn't heard,

"All done?" Tori asks as she turns to face her.

"Yeah, did you hear a whooshing sound?"

"No." Tori shakes her head lightly feigning a puzzled look.

Cat then shrugs and bounds off back up the trail without giving it another thought.

Tori follows and is quickly reunited with the group, which is ready to go. They head off once again.

* * *

"Vega." Jade shouts forward having fallen back a little.

"Yeah, Jade." Tori slows to answer.

"Seen any little green men?" Jade's tone is teasing

"What?" Beck is confused.

"Vega had a dream last night about little green people in the forest." She turns to him but speaks loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"I killed one with its plasma pistol I took from it while it was sleeping." She lightly laughs as she lies?

"Sounds kinda harsh, you killin' some poor little guy while he's sleepin'." Andre uncomfortable about his friend killing miniature extraterrestrials.

"He had killed and eaten you and Cat." She speaks more flatly.

"I don't want to be eaten!" Cat screams in terror.

"And you won't be." Tori comes off as hunter strong as she comforts her.

"Well, in that case, thanks." Andre is mildly freaked at the darkness of the dream.

"I would have rather killed him first, but you ran after Cat." She shakes her head.

"Understood." He is now concerned about Tori's willingness to kill the invader before it was a killer.

"So again, have you seen any?" Jade is amused by the lie, but wants an answer.

"Yeah, one back there." Tori is sarcastic as she throws her thumb back down the trail, but Jade recognizes the truth of the statement and sharpens her observation of the forest.

The others simply laugh, except for Cat who grabs onto Tori's arm.

"It's okay he's dead. He won't hurt you." Tori strokes Cat's hair gently.

"Really?" Cat looks up at her with scared eyes.

"No worries, okay?" Tori's smile is sweet and reassuring.

"Kay-kay." Cat springs back to her normal self and lets go. Tori just shakes her head as they head off again.

* * *

After another hour and half they stop at a small clearing on a hill.

"Seems like a good spot for a break." Tori sits on a rock about the size of a small chair.

"Thank God the almighty." Robbie drops his enormous pack and lays down in some grass.

"You're the idiot that brought that behemoth." Jade kicks the pack as she passes to sit on another chair size rock near Tori. Beck follows her,

"Sorry man, but you did bring it." Robbie waves it off as he simply lays there.

"Who brought food and water?" Jade is annoyed and thirsty.

"Me." Cat bounds over, still filled with energy. She drops her pack and rummages around in it. Soon she pulls out several bottles of water.

"Is that bottled spring water?" Beck asks as he sees the label.

"Yeah. Why?" Cat in mildly confused.

"Fish pee." He looks at Andre.

"You know they filter it right?" Tori takes a swig without a second thought.

"But then how is it 'fresh mountain spring water'?" Beck looks at her inquisitively.

"It's in a bottle, so it's not fresh, it's just an adjective. The water came from a mountain stream, hence 'mountain spring water'. It's still filtered, probably a government regulation about that." Tori fully embraces her nerd logic as Jade laughs to herself.

"So no fish pee?" He sees the weight of her logic.

"No fish pee. Besides if it was unfiltered, pee should have been the least of your worries." Tori grins as she looks at him slyly.

"What do you mean?" His confusion returns.

"Vega, does a bear shit in the woods?" Jade finally interrupts with a completely serious look on her face.

"I don't know, Beck?" Tori copies the expression as she stares a Beck,

"Oh." Jade and Tori both laugh.

"So man up and drink the water, Pretty boy." Tori with a deep voice as she fake slugs him in the shoulder.

"Alright, Ranger Vega." He grabs a bottle and takes a drink.

Cat proceeds to pull out energy bars and pass them around to everyone. After they have snacked and rehydrated they continue.

* * *

A couple of hours later they reach their destination; a cliff overlooking the forest they had just travestied.

"Not really worth the journey." Jade is angry at the wasted expedition.

"I say it's a four out of ten. Not exactly a picturesque view is it?" Tori is more disheartened as she looks over to the goth.

"Not even close." Jade meets her gaze and then spits over the cliff.

"Sorry guys the satellite view looked better." Robbie.

"Of course it looked better from space, everything does." Rex has finally made his appearance from the transport hauler.

"He's got you there man." Andre piles on.

"Great job, Pinocchio." Jade turns to face the timid ventriloquist.

"Well at least the hike was nice." Beck tries to rally the moment.

"TTTToooorrrriiiiii!" Cat screams as she runs to Tori.

"What is it Cat?" Tori looks down at the terrified girl hugging her chest.

"Little green people." Almost in tears Cat produces the words.

"Where?" Tori readies her mind for combat as she inquires.

"There." Cat releasing her hold to point at the pack of three-foot tall green men.

* * *

The Wolgerrun appear from the tree line sixty feet from the group of humans.

"Look Mugot. More of them." Furgus motions to the groups of humans.

"What a feast this will be." The one with two knives starts smiling.

"Indeed, Furgus. Summon the others." Mugot points to the first to speak.

* * *

"What the hell are those things." Andre is stunned by the appearance of Tori's little green men.

"Wood Goblins." Tori affirms as she pulls out the shotgun from the duffle and quickly loads it.

"Why do you have a gun?" Andre refocuses his attention to Tori and her gun.

"Protection. Jade?" She looks over to Jade as she finishes loading.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Jade has her handgun primed and ready.

"You've got one too?" Andre now stares at Jade gripping the gun tightly.

"No self-respecting Hunter doesn't carry a gun." She looks over at him with a smile.

"Hun…" He can't finish as Tori interrupts,

"Beck, Andre can either of you use a gun?"

"No." Beck is shaking his head to enforce his inability.

"No." Andre quickly follows in the same manner.

"Time to learn, here." Tori hands her shotgun to Andre.

"Why you giving it to me?" He holds the weapon awkwardly, which makes Tori smile for a second,

"Because Jade is giving her gun to Beck."

"What?" Jade and Beck speak simultaneously, but Jade is much louder.

"We don't need them Jade, but they do." Tori motions to the boys.

"Fine here, but don't lose it or shoot me." Begrudgingly she surrenders her weapon.

"But…" Andre tries again to protest and is again cut short by Tori,

"'It's simple, point the barrel at things you want to shoot and not at things you don't. They're not toys, but they might be the only thing that lets you see tomorrow. Beyond that squeeze the trigger to fire and you need to pump after each shot.'." She indicates to Andre about the pump.

"You said that pretty damn well, Tori. Weston would be proud." Jade grins and so does Tori in response.

"Thanks Jade. You remember the spell."

"…Yeah, got it." Jade scans her phone and quickly remembers the incantation. The others are looking at them strangely, half expecting this to be another joke.

"You have to hold out your hand or it won't work." Tori makes the same hand motion she uses to fling the azure flames. Jade responds with a thumbs up.

"Well then, Robbie, Cat, and _Rex_ get behind us and stay down. The Huntresses are in the house…" Tori takes a powerful stance to match the voice. Jade takes up a similar stance just to her right,

"And we're going to kick Goblin ass." Jade finishes for Tori as they both raise their hands,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" The sapphire fireballs erupt and find two of the twenty slowly approaching goblins striking them square in the chests.

* * *

The goblins had been only creeping closer until their reinforcements could arrive but,

"They are using powerful magic." Fergus shocked by the development.

"Charge." Murgot shouts as he runs ahead.

* * *

They charge into another volley of blue flames, another two goblins fall, one of which is Fergus. He drops to his knees screaming as the blast sears off his right side. The others continue without a thought.

"What are you two waiting for, an invitation? Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" Jade barks at the motionless males as she releases another shell and another hit in the chest.

"Snap out of it. Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" Tori fires another shot as she looks over at them still just standing there. Another hit this one to the head, the impact sends him rolling backwards. Tori grins briefly.

After a second Andre moves to Tori's left and starts firing the shotgun, he is soon joined by Beck, who takes up position on Jade's right. Andre drops one of the closing green men with the first shot, Beck however requires a few before he hits his first invader.

"Don't waste ammo! Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" Jade scolds Beck's casual firing, she scores another hit.

"Good shot, Andre! Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" Tori yells over the gunfire, another hit.

By now half of the charging goblins are dead but the rest are almost on top of them. Tori takes action,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu! Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" She uses both hands and double recites the spell, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of it earlier. Two more fall as Jade joins the double casting, one of the shots misses as the target narrowly escapes the impact. However he is quickly taken down by Andre.

"I'm out!" Beck shouts to Jade.

"Under my jacket, grab a clip!" She motions for him to approach with her head as she unleashes another duel volley. His hands are shaking as he searches for the reload. He finds the clip only to drop it, he recovers and reloads quickly, rejoining the fight with two rapid kills.

Andre has made each shot count after Jade chastised Beck and scored four out of seven hits. But he too has run out of ammo. Andre flips the gun now holding it by the barrel and swings at one of the last two goblins, the grip connects sending him tumbling. Tori releases one last fireball as he tries to get up…he never does.

The last goblin is Murgot, he has launched himself at Beck but instead connects with Jade's boot as it slams into his chest. The green man falls to the ground as Beck unloads the clip into him. Jade releases a fireball into his face…just for fun.

Panting heavily Tori drops her hands and falls to the ground on her ass,

"I…hate…reaching…my…limit." She is soon joined by Jade, who is even more exhausted; she can't even muster that, she throws up her hand as she lies completely down.

Soon Tori falls back all the way as well, she reaches over fist extended toward Jade. Jade sees the motion and complies with a fist-bump.

Andre sits down beside Tori and places his arms on his raised knees after laying down the empty shotgun. Beck does the same beside Jade.

Cat and Robbie run up,

"Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah…just need…to catch…breath." She struggles to say more words in between breathes,

"Just reached…my limit." Jade throws up a thumb in agreement.

"What the hell was that?" Andre throws back his head.

"A battle…for survival." Tori continues.

"No, the fire." Beck clarifies.

"Magic." Jade finally speaks.

"Magic?" Robbie mesmerized by the concept.

"What the hell?" Andre looks over to Tori.

"Once we…recover…we'll explain…_everything_." Tori closes her eyes as Jade throws one last thumbs up before they both slip into a light slumber.

* * *

**AN:** Told ya' there'd be action. And later the sexy gets dialed up…maybe a little too much… then again this is an 'M' story, it should probably be sexier…

I'm surprised none of you are complaining about that…

**Thanks** for not complaining about the sexy, I'm not very good at writing that kind of stuff. I mean the oneshot I wrote for _**Secret Circle**_ wasn't really all that good. I really don't think sexy's in my wheelhouse...

Rigth. sorry that wasn't a plug or anything just a reference to the author (me) 's ability to right quality scenes of a mature nature...

Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**P.S. Picture this dear friends, Tori in a ranger outfit and Jade in a Yogi costume…yeah, that'll make your day_._**


	19. Aftermath of Battle

**AN:** Yeah, the other guys…

Oh, and this is the one month anniversary of this story's posting…yeah, apparently I celebrate that kind of stuff, who knew?

Not that this is a particularly special chapter, unless you count the fact that the others now know about Jade and Tori _specia_l extracurricular activities…and no you perverts that doesn't mean Jori loven'…;)

* * *

The others are left alone in the field of dead goblins and unconscious hunters wondering one singular thought…_'What the Hell?_'…then,

"Now, what do we do while they're out?" Andre turns to his conscious friends.

"Reload?" Beck suggests while gently shaking the gun. He also darts his eyes about the field searching for anything else that might want to take a bite out of them.

"That's a good idea."

Beck searches Jade carefully retrieving a full clip and swapping it for the empty one. Andre heads over to the duffle and pulls out the shotgun gun-belt. He cautiously loads six rounds,

"Now what?" Andre looks over to the rest while he stands.

"I guess we should keep an eye out for more…goblins." Beck isn't too comfortable with the concept of goblins being real, in that he's shaking a bit, dating his eyes constantly, and to say the least dodgy.

"What about us?" Robbie pipes up motioning to his lack of a firearm.

"You can still keep a lookout…Maybe get rid of the bodies." Beck looks down at the green man only a few feet from him.

"What? Why?"

"They smell somethin' awful. They might attract others." Andre clamps down on the end of his nose with his free hand.

"…And what do we do with them?" Robbie is darting his eyes back and forth between Andre and Beck.

"Throw 'em over the cliff. That way if others come they will be at the bottom of the cliff and not up here." Andre points the shotgun to the ledge.

"…alright." Robbie can't think of a single thing on this Earth that we wouldn't do instead of touching the filthy green corpses. But he grabs the nearest one and starts dragging it to the cliff while fighting the urge to vomit from the putrid smell of the unbathed creature.

"What about me?" Cat looks around not sure what she should be doing.

"You can help Robbie. He looks like he could use it." Beck looks over to the boy struggling to transport the body.

"Eww, they're sooo gross. Do I have to?" Cat pinches her nose at the odor and speaks in a nasally voice.

"Unless you want the smell to linger, or more of them showing up, then yes." Beck is amused by the way she is talking, but stays calm and firm to convince her to help.

Cat decides that she doesn't want any more showing up, so she runs over to Robbie and takes one of the goblin's legs with him taking sole control of the other. Together they very easily pull their load to the edge of the overhang where Cat kicks the body down the steep drop. They both watch as it tumbles down to the rocks fifty feet below, landing with a crunch; Cat looks away at the sound.

They move off to their next load.

* * *

Half an hour later they have removed twelve of the goblins from the field and are on route for a thirteenth…

"It moved!" Cat jumps back as one of the goblins wearing a gunshot wound starts stirring.

"What?" Robbie backs away.

"Look it's moving." Cat points at the wounded creature,

"Beck, Andre! This one's still alive!" Robbie shouts to the two armed guards patrolling the general area.

Both Andre and Beck run over as the wounded one tries getting up. It clutches its knife as it looks up at Cat as it struggles to rise. Robbie grabs Cat and pulls her away as Andre and Beck level their weapons and fire; a slug to the chest and two ten mm rounds in the head put the bastard down for good. Tori and Jade don't even stir as they continue sleeping.

Robbie and Cat take a break, before returning to their morbid work.

* * *

An hour later Tori and Jade awake to find Beck and Andre walking back and forth guns at the ready,

"You're up." Andre glances over seeing them stir.

"Yeah, just needed a nap to recharge the ole mana pool." Jade speaks lazily as she sits up rubbing the back of her head.

"What?" Beck now joining Andre.

"I'll explain." Tori is now sitting as well.

"Good because you two owe us one hell of an explanation." Andre is visibly pissed but tries to remain composed.

"We're perfectly aware 'Catherine Obvious'." Jade looks over at Tori mocking her mistake of the saying.

"You don't get to be snippy." Beck calmly retorts as he lets Jade's gun fall to one hand.

"Oh really." Jade holds up her hand in the combat form. Beck and Andre jump back.

"Don't worry, she isn't strong enough for that…_yet_." Tori adds the last part with a venomous smile.

They both get up and stretch vigorously,

"What are they doing?" Tori inquires as she sees Cat and Robbie throwing one of the last goblin corpses over the cliff.

"Clean up." Andre answers flatly, both girls shrug as they look at each other.

"So?" Andre looks over in agitation.

"So?" Jade asks in feigned confusion.

"So…the explanation?" Beck makes it seem like the most obvious question ever uttered. Tori pauses to find the right words while Jade cuts her a look. Tori deduces that she doesn't want them to get the full truth, just a taste,

"…Fine. Jade and I are hunters."

"Hunters?" Andre raises an eyebrow as Beck cocks his head.

"We hunt down and kill monsters, demons, and all manner of evil beings…" Tori starts the basic job description and Jade finishes it lethargically,

"…to protect the world from destruction or conquest." Beck and Andre look at them strangely.

"It's not like we've been doing this long. What's it been?" Jade spits out the words.

"Five days." Tori answers flatly.

"Five?...Since Wednesday night?" Andre starts piecing it together but Beck cuts in,

"Is that why you two are so weird lately?"

"Yes, Jade saved my life from a werewolf an…"

"Werewolf?" They stare at her wide-eyed as they articulate the word. Tori continues in a casual tone,

"Yeah, we were attacked at the school…"

"I saved her and then…show them." Jade motions to Tori, who complies by turning around and pulling up her shirt to reveal the four silver scars. Andre is about to…,

"Don't touch it!" Jade warns slapping his hand.

"Why not?" He coddles his hand. Tori drops her shirt back down.

"Trust me, okay. I kind of know about this." She removes the handkerchief from her right hand revealing the silver slash.

"What happened to you two?" Beck is staring at the wound.

"It stopped her from bleeding out, but…Tori add this to the list." She looks over at Tori motioning for her to retrieve her phone. It seemed strange but she had almost completely forgotten about the scar on her palm and more importantly why it was there, seeing as she wasn't bleeding before he cut her.

"Got it." She pulls out her phone and adds 'silver scars'.

"What list?" Andre looking at Tori put her phone away.

"The one of things we need to research. Don't worry about it. All in due time." Jade reassures him like he is a child too young to fully grasp the concept. Andre shakes the condescension off,

"Okay…so you were attacked and…"

"We got away thanks to Emily and Charles." Tori continuing her casual tone.

"Emily?" Andre of course zeros in on the female savior.

"Charles?" Beck gets the scrap question.

"Emily Grey is a Silver Fang, they hunt were-beasts; like werewolves." Still casual Tori provides a brief description .

"Charles **Weston** is a master hunter." Jade emphasizes the last name hoping it will jar their memories.

"Weston? You mean…?" Beck is getting it.

"The same." Jade yawns after the answer.

"So he's not a rich art patron?" Beck scratches the back of his head.

"No, he certainly is rich and has a taste for _unique_ art." Tori thinks about the portrait over Charles's fireplace.

"That might be an understatement on both counts." Jade grins.

"No kidding." Tori laughs lightly as she turns to Jade.

"What?" This is quickly becoming a word synonymous with Andre's vocabulary.

"He's loaded. But that is irrelevant. After he saved us we sort of…_fell_ into the job of inexperienced hunters." Jade looks over at Tori as she searches for the right word to describe their fate, Tori winces slightly at the word chosen.

"So you guys decided to start…hunting just like that?" Beck struggles with the word to describe his girlfriend's new hobby.

"…Yeah, you could say that." Jade selects her answer with sly grin.

"But why?" Andre still in a mild daze.

"If it weren't for hunters we would be dead, so we thought we'd return the favor and save others as well." Tori takes a noble attitude as she speaks.

"Plus magic." Jade grins wickedly.

"She likes that part." Tori motions to Jade with her head.

"It's true, but I also like my gun." She holds out her hand. Beck responds by surrendering the firearm,

"Thank, you. Did you miss mama, baby?" She starts speaking sweetly as she cradles the weapon.

"She really likes her gun. I prefer my medallion; it's **so** much more powerful." Tori gleefully emphasizes the 'so' hoping to get a response from Jade…it works with ease,

"It's a glorified key." Jade disregards the trinket.

"That could unlock Charles's weapon cache." Tori smiles cunningly.

"I like your medallion too." Jade's tone swiftly changes as she imagines all of the goodies Weston has in his arsenal.

"Medallion?" Andre.

"Charles's Legion of Shadows medallion. And before you ask the Legion is the world's largest order of hunters."

"So are you members?" Beck guessing one plus one equals…three?

"No, we're freelance. Want to join?" Jade asks casually, coming back from her weapon fantasy.

"You serious?" Andre has a look of disbelief painted across his face.

"Well we were going to do that anyway…after we got settled and found a less stressful means of telling you guys." Tori feeling bad about keeping the secret.

"Glad that worked out for you." Andre gets snippy.

"I'm not the one who wanted to go hiking in goblin infested woods." Tori returns fire.

"You said you went hiking here." He tries defending himself.

"And? I can shoot fireballs, so I was okay. Plus I never said we should all come out here." Tori's fire is too hot to handle for the songwriter,

"Before anything else. We need to leave this forest, ASAP." Tori looks over at Andre and Beck, who nod in response.

"Cat. Robbie. We're heading out. Grab your gear." Tori shouts to the two startled undertakers. They drop the last cadaver and head for their stuff. Tori picks up the duffle merely a few feet from where she was resting.

"I love it when you take charge." Jade raises an eyebrow suggestively. Andre snickers at the exchange, while Beck simply rolls his eyes.

"I know, sweetie." She grins before taking a deeper voice,

"Let's move'um out." She throws her right arm to the sky and brings it down in a cut toward their exit.

Cat and Robbie, after retrieving Rex, catch up as they head off into the woods in silence.

Tori again takes point with Cat, Robbie, and Beck in the center with Jade and Andre, still carrying Tori shotgun, bringing up the rear. They all keep sharp eyes on the trees as they march to their vehicles.

* * *

It takes them just under two and a half hours to reach their destination, they had kept a much more brisk pace leaving than entering and didn't stop for any pee breaks. As the cars come into sight they increase speed.

"We made it." Robbie falls to his knees throwing his arms in the air in joy and from exhaustion.

"Yes, now get in the car!" Jade doesn't want to be the fool who dies because they let their guard down when escape was so close. Robbie rushes to Beck's car. Beck pops the trunk and Andre, Cat, Beck, and Robbie deposit their packs.

"When should we do this?"

"Tomorrow evening at the Bulltermark." Jade answers sharply.

"Excellent idea, West." Tori's cheeky British ascent returns.

"Never doubt my intellect, Vega." Jade joins her.

"I shall keep that in mind."

"What are you two doing?" Beck half-smiling returns to the girls.

"Inside joke, My boy." Jade keeps the voice.

"Indeed." And so does Vega.

"Okay, so…?"

"Tomorrow after school." Jade is concise.

"We have a way to make it easier." Tori adds to help prevent any further questions in the dangerous woods.

"Don't worry, Just don't mention any of this to anyone." Jade barks the order and swiftly adds,

"And make sure they all understand that as well." Beck kisses her on the head, and then heads back to his car loaded with the others.

Jade and Tori stow their gear in the trunk before heading off in the lead of Beck.

* * *

**AN:** And the day started out so promising for Jade, poor thing…

'_Secrets kept are daggers poised to strike.'_


	20. Crusin' On Crazy

**AN:** And now the other guys, yeah they need some more love too…

* * *

Sitting in the back seat beside Cat, Robbie leans forward,

"What did they say?"

"That they would explain things after school tomorrow." Beck relays the message as he pulls out following his girlfriend's car.

"But why not now?"

"Didn't want to ask an agitated Jade who can shoot fire from her finger-tips. But if you would like to?" He smirks, but only Andre can see it.

"I can wait." Robbie sits back not wanting to think of any part of himself being cooked.

"Good answer, Rob." Andre looks back with a thin smile.

"What did they say earlier?" Cat being abnormally focused.

Beck sighs before he starts relaying the information he has recently learned. Andre jumps in every now and then to emphasize.

"Werewolves? Really?" Robbie has gone wide eyed. Andre turns to face him,

"We were just attacked by three foot tall green men. And Tori had these weird silver scars on her back."

"Do you think they're the Dusk kind of werewolves?" Cat questions, considering the possibility of a weird romantic triangle with one of the creatures and a vampire.

"Didn't ask. But if they attacked them, then I doubt it." Beck is staying pretty somber about the questioning.

"I wonder what else is real. Vampires…I mean werewolves." Andre turns back around to face the sight of Jade's car still in front of them.

"I guess that makes sense…what about dragons?" Robbie wandering as his mind drifts to the statue, then the rest drift to the giants as well.

"I hope not, I could barely handle goblins. The last thing I need is to face off against a towering fire-breathing lizard." Beck visibly shudders at the very idea.

"Unicorns?" Cat was very excited by the prospect of the horned horses being real.

"Maybe." Beck is the last to speak.

The group drifts into their own little worlds as they continue to wonder about all the possible beasts that could be real.

Beck tries not to think about it but the werewolves keep popping into his head. The very idea that Jade was so close to death…and that he wasn't there for her when she needed him most. But Tori was…

'_Was that a good thing considering how Jade and Tori have been acting…Are they just coping with all the insanity by clinging to each other as friends or…No, they are just close because of the attack….But…_' His thoughts continue to run through the sudden closeness of his girlfriend and the girl she used to hate. He decides to trust that they are close because they survived the assault together and that Jade really enjoys watching him fidget when they tease each other.

Robbie briefly considers dragons before the idea of him being eaten by them sends his thoughts elsewhere…primarily into the realm of vampires…

'_It would be so awesome to be undead; the power, the immortality, the fear and respect, and the girls wanting me too make them immortal as well._' The megalomania of becoming a vamp turns,

'_But what if I'm evil and try to kill everybody, or Jade and Tori kill me. Because I'm going to be honest they would probably wipe the floor with me, especially with their magic…I wonder if I can use magic, or do you have to be special?_' The thought of Wizard Robbie the Mage of LA quickly consumes him.

Andre floats into the realm of monsters pretending to be humans. His thoughts are the _darkest_…

'_Can they take human form? If so how many are there? Are they all dangerous? I wonder if…Sikowitz, could he be a monster in disguise? Some kind weird coconut eating monster-thingy._' So some of his thoughts were dark…then…sexy,

'_Or maybe that cute girl at the Groovy Smoothie is an elf; slender body, mystic eyes, dexterous fingers, and those ears, they looked longer than most. Are elves real? Are they double-jointed? Would they like humans?_' This line of questioning continues in much the same matter as it changes to mermaids, then genies…female ones, if that wasn't obvious.

Cat easily falls into fantasizing about unicorns. The concept of riding the majestic horned equine through a sunlit meadow is the most consuming of her fantasies.

* * *

As Cat starts in on her fantasy Tori and Jade both get a strange shiver down their spines,

"That was weird." Jade checking the climate control.

"What was?" Tori looking over after examining the vents for cold air.

"I just got this strange shiver…" Jade starts feeling dumb for even mentioning it.

"Down your back." But as Tori finishes her statement they both begin feeling uncomfortable.

"Yeah, you too?" The question is unnecessary but her discomfort forces it out.

"That doesn't sound good. Do you think they're talking about us?"

"Let's see, they just found out that monsters are real and that we were hiding that from them. Plus magic and the fact that we are monster hunters, so no I don't think they are talking about us." Jade's sarcasm is thick and obvious, she almost feels bad for dragging it out that long.

"They didn't seem that bad off about everything." But it barely affects Tori at all as she shrugs it off.

"Let it sink in. They'll be freaking like we did in no time." Jade keeps her eyes forward.

"I think most of our freaking had to do with the whole Dragoon thing. You remember the contract right?"

"Yes, Vega, I remember. But I also recall being thoroughly freaked before we plummeted into the profession of protecting the world. So just wait till tomorrow." Jade is calm and sweet, a mildly disturbing combination considering she's not teasing.

"But we got…are getting…Are you okay with it?" Tori is not sure they really ever got over everything, it seemed like they just pushed it aside.

"I'd be happier if we didn't have to deal with our friends finding out already, but…I honestly feel okay. I'm not completely fine nor am I an unstable wreck, so close enough I guess." Jade is calm and somber.

"Personally I'm not sure I'll ever be able to embrace this life, but it's not like I have a choice." Tori equals the emotion…or lack thereof.

"I think we just said the same thing. So-so, but it'd do." Jade smiles lightly.

"I suppose we are a pair aren't we?" Tori returns the same half-hearted smile.

"I'll ignore the gayness of that statement and agree because it is an '_**Inconvenient Truth'**_."

"Did you really just use an _**Al Gore**_documentary title to describe our partnership?" Tori looks over with a quizzical look plastered on her face.

"Partnership?" Jade returns the look with a raised eyebrow as she glances over, but there is this nagging feeling at the back of her head that she's heard that before…but where?

"You're avoiding the question." Tori's face has slumped into a scowl.

"I know." Jade smiles.

"I believe that's my answer. Thank you." Tori returns her attention forward as she wields a Cheshire cat grin. Jade's responds with a fake vile loathing,

"You shouldn't read between lines that don't exist."

"They exist and so does the subtext, you're a great friend Jade. I wouldn't trade the real you for all the fame and blockbuster movie deals in the world." Tori redirects her attention to Jade as she gets sappy.

"I think I'm going to vomit." Jade shifts one hand from the wheel and places it on her stomach.

"Probably rainbows and kittens." Tori still beaming.

"Or bile and blood all over that nice…wait did you dress up for the café?" Jade is coming off with a 'I'm actually going to be violently sick' face as she notices the lovely white top and light tan skirt.

"I figured a rich guy would go to a nice place and I wanted to look nice." Steadfast Tori defends her attire.

"For me?" Jade puts a hand to her chest and uses Tori's mocking voice. She's completely convinced by her reasoning but wants to get the sickening taste of _nice_ out of her mouth and wants a little more fun to help push down the 'truth just revealed to friends' thing. Tori sighs,

"Yes, Jade. You've found me out I'm in love with you. Will you marry me?" Her sarcasm is blunt as she casts a pleading look over at the driver.

"Maybe once you stop acting all _mushy-mushy_." Jade starting to get that sickening taste again.

"Never. Love me as I am or not at all." Tori looks forward with eyes closed and arms crossed.

"I choose not." Jade's response is cold with an under layering of playful.

"My soul aches from the rejection of my love for you." Casting her left hand forward Tori takes a _**Hamlet **_pose as she invokes her deepest sorrow.

"Drama queen." Jade cracks a grin as insult falls.

"Hater." Tori rapidly shifts to a generic urban impersonation.

"Really?" Her tone is deadpan.

"Sorry." Tori drops her head.

The rest of the drive is quite as Tori and Jade individually think up how exactly they are going to perform their first proper debrief. Without a word they both decide that completely forgetting about the trapdoor at Roseborn and the events both interwoven and those that would trace back to those dealings would be best. It was a simple decision that required no delegation or any form of communication except for the strangely knowing nod that they exchanged as Tori exited the car at her home.

* * *

Beck had broken off ten minutes earlier to drop off the others, all whom were still in their fantasy worlds. But before Robbie can exit and retrieve his pack,

"Don't mention this to anyone or Jade and Tori will fry us." As Becks words sunk in Robbie was consumed with the image of Jade lighting him ablaze with a diabolical laugh as Tori observed grinning.

As Beck pulled away Andre looked over at him,

"You think they would actually do it?" He's half-joking but the image of Tori throwing fireballs like pebbles was certainly concerning.

"I seriously doubt Tori would let her _girlfriend_ kill any of us." He's trying to let the ridiculous ideas of them actually being together fall away with a few bad jokes.

"Girlfriend? Jade said Tori didn't have a girlfriend." Cat pipes up with confusion at earlier statements made about this topic.

"She doesn't. It's just a joke, Cat." Andre turns in the seat to face her, his voice is reassuring.

"Like Jade and Tori's jokes? I don't like those." Cat scowls at the terrible jokes they have been playing.

"I'm sorry Cat, but it's the only way I feel better." Beck turns a bit somber.

"'bout what man?" Andre refocuses his attention.

"Tori has gotten closer to Jade in five days than me in three years. That's a massive warning flare." His solemn tone is joined by a mild flare of anger.

"Dude, werewolves. If we'd done that then we'd be tight as hell too. Don't worry now that we're in the fold as well she'll be hanging out with you a lot more. It won't be the same but close enough." Andre keeps a positive mood as he reasons with his sinking friend.

"…Yeah, you're right. Just a little lesbian scare." It takes him a second but Beck figures it's all just shadows in his head and that his friend is dead on about the whole thing.

"Lesbian? Is Tori gay?" Cat is again confused, not sure if this is another joke or her friend is keeping a secret form her.

"No, she's straight. She'd tell me if she was giving me competition." Andre adapts an obviously stereotypical 'playla' tone as he leans back in the seat.

"Competition? Have you seen Tori? If she started batting for the other team she would be scoring like in the majors and probably recruiting like crazy." Beck starts feeling better, messin' with his buddy.

"What is with all the baseball references? First Tor and now you." Andre is mildly disturbed by the fever-pitch.

"What are you talking about?" Beck is still grinning at the remark.

"Last night Tori and I talked and she made a few baseball references about being gay."

"Maybe she does swing the bat _that_ way." Beck is more than delighted to poke fun at Tori for the near panic attacks she's given him.

"Then I guess you should update your status to **single**." Andre can't believe how much fun it is to tease Beck about his girlfriend. _'Tor was right, this is a blast.'_

"That's not funny, man." Beck stares at his friend with a cutthroat serious look on his face.

"Oh, but it is." Andre can't contain his amusement anymore and bursts into a bellowing laugh.

Cat frowns at the jokes. She's getting tired of her friends messing with each other using homosexuality as a medium. But she knows they aren't making fun of people for being gay but of the misconceptions of homosexuality through stereotypes. However the constant shots at Tori invoke a dormant rage. She lets the incredible lucid thoughts flow from her with searing ire,

"I wouldn't care if she was gay, Tori saved us today. She's awesome and you should be grateful that she was with us… Beck, if Jade leaves you for her I wouldn't be surprised, because who could compete with a magic wielding heroine taking charge of a battle like a great general, leading us to victory against overwhelming odds. She made you look like a joke and you're angry at her for being better than you at kicking ass and protecting the people she cares about. Why, are you that petty? Would you rather we all be dead and you clinging to the memory of your relationship as you slip into darkness?" Cat takes a deep breath before closing her testimony,

"And the thing is, Jade wouldn't leave you or did you forget about yesterday? She was truly happy and Tori was nowhere in sight; maybe she was off with a girl or a guy or both. But you know what? Frag it, she's still our friend and Jade is in love with you, Beck. So man up and love her without all this bullshit second-guessing and you better not even think of disin' Tori." Cat ended her rant with a return to normal.

* * *

**AN:** Super intense Cat kicks some serious ass, ain't no fools safe from her rage…is that a possible hint at something deeper about our little Cat…maybe, maybe…hehehehe :{)

'_It's always the one we least expect that shows us the most insight…'_

'…_Or blinds us to the hidden truths of the heart's greatest desire.' _;{)

* * *

**P.S.** Since I'm running out of extra chapters I'm going to slow down on how often I post... Becuase if I don't we're going to this point where I can only post once a week...and I get the feeling you guys would rather have it every three to four days instead...

So, my next post will be Monday... :{l


	21. Scary, Funny, or Twisty

**AN**: This might seem really weird for this chapter, seeing as it makes no real references to moms, but…**Happy Mother's Day.**

Now since I know there are no mothers reading this, because how awkward would that conversation be, 'Hey, mom.' **'What is Jori?'** '…uhm, nothing.' **'Really, because it seems like a fusion of Tori and Jade, two female characters on TV.'** 'Uhm, no…no…it's…about this guy named Jori who fights monsters and saves the world.' **'If by guy you mean two girls, who fall madly in love in chapter 25 then I believe you.'** 'What? Really? Awesome!' **'Gotcha'**.' 'Fudge!'

Enjoy the early release…;{)

* * *

Beck and Andre had dead stopped their conversation after their normally ditzy friend had dropped a megaton of a declaration. Beck drove the two to their homes before heading to his RV.

As he lay on his bed Beck let the full force of Cat's lecture sink in,

'_She's right. I have nothing to worry about. Jade loves me and Tori would never try anything even __**if**__ she was gay; she's not that kind of person._' He swifts to lay on his side,

'_I can't believe it took Cat going serious on me to make that so clear. I'm an idiot._' Soon sleep begins to grip him as the last thoughts fade into dreams.

Andre is still shocked by the blitzkrieg worthy assault Cat dealt Beck,

'_I had no idea Cat could be so fierce. Even Jade would bow out at her wrath. I suppose it was one hell of a way to make Beck get past his concerns. But damn, that was brutally demasculating; even I feel like a little kid right now… Guess we're going to have to toughen up if we're actually going to help Tor and Jade fight monsters. I still can't believe that…Andre the Hunter… I like that._' He continues drifting about what exactly hunting entails as he falls asleep.

As her cat clock eyes her at only seven-twelve Cat is out surprisingly quickly with only one thought,

'_Unicorns_.'

Robbie is the unfortunate one who gets the nightmares of Jade and Tori killing him in various terribly inhumane ways. This is only abnormal because Tori is now present as a tormenter as well. His nightmares usual had Jade as a monster or witch anyway.

* * *

"How was your date?" Trina spits the words as Tori walks in.

"Exhausting. My body aches in places I didn't know I had places." Tori rubs her shoulder blade as she rolls her head.

"TMI! I don't want to know about your creepy lesbian sex life." Trina leaps up from the couch dropping her magazine as she heads for the stairs.

"But I was going to go into great detail about this thing Jade does with her tongue." Tori smiles as Trina rapidly disappears up the steps with her hands covering her ears.

With her parents out on a date night Tori doesn't have to worry about any weirdness so she indulges in making her sister uncomfortable. She is however quite exhausted and heads upstairs for a warm shower.

Her sore muscles and depleted mana force her mind into silence as she enjoys the simply bliss of the cascading water, the peace is so alluring that she almost falls asleep right there. Catching herself on the wall she ends her shower and heads off to her room still clear headed.

It doesn't take long for her to slip into a thoughtless slumber, with a strangely tired Irot right beside her.

* * *

After removing her handgun and insuring the proper storage of it and the other equipment Jade shuffles inside and up the steps to a scalding hot shower, then a deep sleep with a drained tiger curled up beside her snoring lightly. Again the dream comes,

_Aboard the Maria Rae, Jade can feel the swaying ship beneath her as she inhales the salty sea air. Her 'partner' is currently observing the waves by hanging over the railing…vomiting at regular intervals. Jade looks over at the girl,_

"_Why are you here if you get seasick?" After one more heave she rises to answer,_

"_The pay was good and I was told it was going to be a short trip."_

"_We're going to America, that's a two month journey." Vega's eyes widen as she hangs over the rail once more…heaving._

"_Buffoon." She leaves the girl to her vomiting as she makes her way to the captain's office. Inside is a man dressed in rather simple cloths, dark brown trousers and a flat frill-less dark red shirt, he could have easily been mistaken for any ordinary sailor. But when she approached him she could feel this aura of authority that made sure you knew he was the captain,_

"_Captain Weston?" He steps away from the window, twisting the end of his mustache,_

"_Yes, Lady West. How might I be of service?" he offers her the only other chair in small room. She takes the seat and folds her hands on her lap before she speaks,_

"_You wouldn't happen to possess a means of curing seasickness would you? My partner is rather ill." She was always a rebel, but it might be wise to show some decorum with the captain of the ship, which he can remove you from rather easily. _

"…_Indeed I do have something that might help…"_ _He rises from his seat and disappears through the side door that leads to his quarters. She can hear him mumbling from inside as jars clink,_

"_Where in the blazes did I put that…no …no… definitely not… ah-ha, this should do nicely." He reemerges with a metal device in his right hand, his left was hidden by his body as he entered. She eyes the device,_

"_What is it?" He follows her eyes and states flatly,_

"_A jar-opener."_

"_And how may I ask is that going to help my poor Vega?" She pouts slightly as she raises a hand to just above her chest. He grins as he lifts his opposite hand,_

"_It's going to open this jar, which contains a mild poison that should render her into a rather nice sleep."_

"_Poison?" She wants to cure her companion but poison may be a bit much._

"_Not lethal in smaller amounts, I assure you." His voice does take a reassuring tone as he opens the sealed jar._

"_I will bow to your experience, Captain." She bows her head slightly, still a little uneasy._

"_I'd rather you put some of this in a cup of water and get her to drink it, but if you insist." He hands her the small jar. She accepts it and moves toward the door but pauses,_

"_You are not what one would expect from a Captain." She can barely hear him as she leaves,_

"_Nor you a lady." But she does and grins as she heads off to help her poor sick Vega._

She is grinning in her sleep, but that might just be because sleeping Edaj is softly pawing her side.

* * *

The next day of school was particularly uneventful except for the question posed by Sikowitz,

"Should our performance be scary, funny, or a Halloween twist on another story?"

He wanted them to take a day to think about before they vote on the direction of the show, which was only fourteen days away. He was sorta dragging his heels but promised that they would be ready even if it killed them…much to the dismay of everyone who wasn't him.

As the day ended the crew was sticking around in the Blackbox,

"I'm thinking scary." Tori looking over to Andre.

"Really? That seems more like a Jade choice." Andre looks at her with concern.

"Indeed. You are coming along well young one, soon the darkness will have a new servant." Jade released this in a low heavy voice as she grinned manically and tapped the tips of her fingers against each other.

"Someone watched a late-night showing of Space Wars." Tori teases lightly.

"No, in class on my phone. I just finished it. But I have to agree with Vega, All Hallows Eve is supposed to be scary." She is stone-faced at the last statement.

"I'll agree with you there Jade." Andre nods as he concurs.

"Are you kidding? With Jade around there's enough scary for the rest of the year, Halloween should be fun and silly." Rex receives a snarl from Jade at his comment.

"I'm with Rex." Robbie steadfastly supports his dummy.

"Me too, I've had enough scary already." Cat agrees as her face remembers the fear.

"Three to three, Beck is the tie breaker. So what's it going to be?" Tori looks back at Beck as everyone else eyes him as well.

"Twist." He states flatly.

"Are you kidding? There's enough of that crap on TV as it is, just go scary and be done with it…or I'll dump you for _Tori_." Jade moves over closer to Tori as she emphasizes her first name.

"Fun and silly." Beck keeps his flat tone as he challenges Jade.

"You've made your bed and will be sleeping in it _alone_, were as Vega will have a portable space heater for the foreseeable future." Jade grabs Tori's arm and pulls her closer, with no real protest from the brunette.

"Fine by me, I was thinking about that new cashier at the Groovy Smoothie anyway." Beck smirks.

"Pity because I just learned about this thing you can do with your tongue, but I suppose Tori will be happy to experience a _modified_ version of it instead of you." Jade tightens her grip on a wide-eyed Tori, _'Did she just say tongue?'._

"I'm sure the cashier already knows about it." His smirk deepens.

"Bet she won't have a threesome with a hot Korean chick." Now Jade delivers a lethally seductive smirk.

"Jade, I thought we talked about not bringing Sunny into this." Tori looks over at her with a scowl.

"Sunny?" Andre interested in this new development.

"Hot as hell and a master of _sweet treats_. She might bring some of that raspberry crème with her. I can think of a _few_ things we could do with that." Jade lets the words roll with a deadly grin as she licks her lips. Beck folds,

"You win, Scary."

"Thanks, babe. Now was that so hard?" In a taunting tone still holding on to Tori.

"Yes. Painstakingly so." Jade releases Tori and wraps her arms around Beck for a devilishly passionate kiss as a reward for his surrender. Tori gives them a second before interrupting,

"Anyway, now that everyone is gone. Andre, Robbie watch the door. Jade can we move this along."

"Keep your pants on…or don't, either is fine." Jade grins as she releases Beck.

"Let's just get this over with." Tori walks over to the statue.

"Now don't disturb us, we'll be back soon." Jade follows.

"Wait where…" Before Cat could finish Jade and Tori completed the circle and the Mind Council was reformed.

* * *

"Welcome back." Charles throws open his arms as he greets them with a big grin and a hearty voice.

"Yeah, we need answers." Jade isn't in the mood for pleasantries considering he could end their council at will. Tori is quick to scold and apologize,

"Jade! Sorry she's…Jade…But we do have questions." She takes a mousey stance trying to appease him. He simply laughs politely at the gesture,

"Not a problem. In fact as I recall I said I was at your disposal as an archive. So questions be asked." He again parts his hands and bows slightly.

"Why are Irot and Edaj not eating?" Jade cuts right to it, not informing him that the names are of their companions. However he inquires,

"What do you know about mana?" As if he knew.

"It has to do with our ability to use magic." Tori answers a little unsure of the brief response. He smiles,

"Correct. Now your companions require an all mana diet until they are around the age of one. When they are with you they siphon off small amounts of your mana as food. Nothing noticeable considering how deep your mana pools are." He laughs lightly as he finishes.

"So they drink magic?" Tori trying to confirm his statement.

"Basically. However they are also sensitive to your mana pools. If you use too much they also feel exhausted despite not having done anything. So as long as you don't overdo it they should have plenty of food." He reassures them after his serious look in warning them.

"That's a relief, we were getting worried about them." Tori lets out a sigh of relief as she smiles.

"I can understand that, Selrahc scared the hell out of me back in the day when she wasn't eating." He continues his reassuring tone as he recalls his own experiences.

"I'm assuming Selrahc is your companion." Tori is overjoyed to have her side question answered without actual asking.

"She is. And before you inquire…she's a Dreadnought Dragon." He throws up his hand to stop the inevitable question.

"Research?" Jade offers as she thinks about the fun she had in the library.

"You know I expected there to be more on our beasts and us." Tori confesses her disappointment.

"There should have been several reference sources for your companions…Damn archive must be wonky again." He slams his right fist down onto his open left palm as he scowls. They look at him with inquisitive expressions, so he clarifies,

"The last update to the system has caused a few glitches, I was going to have it repaired…but well, stone."

"What's wrong with it?" Tori not sure she would understand a technical answer, despite her recent nerding out, asks anyway.

"It sights the most general articles instead of the more detailed ones, unless you specify the exact book or article you're looking for." As soon as he finishes he sites the best entry for Jade,

"Try **The** **War-Beast Chronicles**…" Then Tori,

"…and for you **The Breeds of** **Dragons**. Now as for Dragon-kin well…**Half-blood Anthology **would be best, but it won't tell you much more than a deeper history of our kind."

"…Got it." Tori confirms the info in a mental note. He smiles as he diverts the subject,

"By the way did you check up on unicorns?"

"Lovely creatures, I kind of wish I got one." Jade grins.

"I thought you might, they are indeed one of the more interesting creatures out there."

"But why are they…nice in stories?" Tori can't get past the drastic difference in the mythology and reality.

"Research _The Battle of Jupion Plains _it should be in the...**History of Legion Warfare. **It will explain everything." Seeing as neither of them say anything he aks,

"Now was there anything else?"

"…Mind Council." With the new additions to her mental resource list, Tori struggles to remember the next item on the Weston list.

"What about it?" His tone is patient.

"After you broke it last time we could read each other's thoughts." Tori still a bit unnerved having Jade actually in her head. He pauses while he considers the answer,

"…Makes sense. You two are a rare double contract. The stone is normally only touched by one person at a time, so it makes sense that you are going to experience certain…_side effects_." The word slides off his tongue uncomfortably.

"Like?" Jade is agitated at the prospect and advances toward Charles as she asks. He hesitates as he forms his thoughts,

"…Well for starters you two are far stronger collectively, hell you two are proportionately stronger than me. If you two were a hundred and fifty years older I'd get my ass handed to me… of course, separate you're weaker than normal… And if only one of your companions is harmed both of you will suffer. Also you're both bound together by a mystical link that allows you a certain mental connection that can be developed over time into full on communication at will." He smiles at the last part hopefully making it a positive to cheer up the peeved goth.

"But only with each other." Jade sighs at this information.

"Yeah. Other than that I have no idea, I'm a single contract holder. And I've never met any doubles, only read up on what scarce data there is. You two are just going to have to figure it out as you go."

"That sucks." Jade trading disappointment for her earlier agitation.

"There was something else…" Tori not exactly sure how to proceed.

"Yes?"

"Well, I don't know if this has anything to do with the double contract thing, but we also saw this…vision of a dragon and tiger fighting when the council broke." She relays the image nervously.

"To be more accurate, they were mature looking versions of Irot and Edaj." Jade intercedes to clarify, just in case that has an effect on the explanation.

"First, that was a prophecy. Second, forget you ever saw it. Trust me prophecies can only be avoided right before they are supposed to be fulfilled. And since they were mature that means you have plenty of time before it happens." His face shifts from mild concern to carefree-ish.

"So how do we prepare?" Always the anxious one, Tori asks tensely.

"You don't. Like I said you wait till the last possible minute, because 'we often meet our fate while trying to void it'." Zen washes over his words as he recites the proverb.

"Is this like that story about the man who meets Death?" Jade knows she's heard this before. Tori recalls the short little anecdote about the man who leaves his city because he sees Death one day only to meet him in the neighboring town, where he's actually supposed to die.

"Exactly. So worrying over it won't stop it and taking preparations might only increase the chances of it coming to pass. That's why the best advice is simply to forget it… Now I'm sorry but we're out of time." He prepares to snap his fingers as he offers an explanation to them,

"There is a limit on how long we **can** council, Ta-ta." Before any further protest could be lodged Jade and Tori were back in the theater.

* * *

**AN:** I have a fun little idea for you Jori lovers in the next dream… and by _idea_ I mean the dreams **will** be Jori!...Yeah! We're talking dream Jade wanting dream Tori very naked and very much in her hammock (you know because they're on a ship).

**Future Chapter Question:** Scary, funny, or Halloween twist on a classic, what do you think?

**P.S.:** that little thing at the beginning was a goof, **not **an allude to chp 25…close though

**Next Post on Wednesday:** share time


	22. When The Gang Grows

**AN:** First, sorry for posting this later than promised.

Second, my explanantion is simple;…_I forgot to pay my service provider…so, yeah..._

Third, Again I'm sorry, take an extra chapter as an apology…

* * *

As they return to their bodies Jade can clearly see Tori's mental list of reference books and Tori can feel Jade's agitation at ending the council early yet again, but no vision… maybe talking to Weston was exactly what they needed. As their minds begin to clear they notice their friends are helping support them.

"What the hell was that?" Andre helping Tori to her feet.

"A powerful spell that lets us talk to the boss." Jade cuts in for Tori as Beck helps her up.

"Boss?" Andre starts looking at the dragon.

"Weston…the statue is a conduit to let us speak to him." Tori's acting skills are excelling as she half-lies with ease.

"We needed to ask him a few things before we…talk." Jade still really doesn't want to have this conversation.

"Thanks for waiting. Now we can go and explain." Tori having fully recovered heads out. Jade follows silently as the others file in.

Andre and Robbie again ride with Beck in his auto as Cat accompanies Jade and Tori.

"You know I might have to have this seat embroidered with my name." Tori had just realized how much time she has spent in the passenger seat of Jade's car since they became real friends.

"Or you could start using your own car." Jade is quick to bite at her sun-kissed passenger.

"That I share with my sister." Jade is caught off guard by that and unexpectedly folds,

"…right, well then I'll think about it."

"You're such a pushover." Tori laughs as she playfully punches Jade's arm, whose response is a heavy punch to Tori's arm.

"Owh…what was that for?" Tori's eyes convey her physical pain. The goth glares at her.

"You're still a pushover." Tori braces herself. But Jade simply turns her attention to the road as she snaps at her lightly,

"And you're annoying."

"But you love me." Tori smirks playfully. Jade considers her words before she smiles,

"…You are infectious aren't you?"

"Like the bubonic."

"That's my favorite plague." Jade shows a somewhat uncharacteristic level of enthusiasm.

"It would be." Tori rolls her eyes.

"What's a plague?" They are both startled by Cat speaking from behind them. Tori whips around in her seat to see Cat happily sitting in the backseat,

"Cat? What are you doing here?" The smiling ninja beams,

"I wanted to ride with you guys."

"Did you see her get in?" Tori redirects her attention to Jade.

"Nope." Jade grins as she turns her full attention on the drive to the Bulltermark.

* * *

Just under thirty minutes later both cars arrive at the stone building with the guard on duty. They pile out of the cars and approach the building's entrance. At seeing Tori and Jade the same young man for the other day snaps a crisp salute before he opens the door. Tori feels incredibly rude for not asking his name earlier,

"I'm sorry, but what is your name?"

"Justin DuCox, ma'am." He bows at his introduction in his proper British accent.

"Why are you calling her ma'am and for that matter what's with the saluting?" Jade gaze falls on him hard.

"It is procedure to salute anyone who bears a Legion Medallion, especially the barer of Lord Weston's Medallion." He maintains his accent as he speaks respectfully.

"But we're not Legionnaires." Tori slightly confused.

"No, you are Lord Weston's recruits, which means you take even higher priority in terms of this facility."

Jade decides not to push the issue as she heads inside with the others in toe. Tori was the last one in as she still wrestled with the prospect of having her question answered by the guardsman.

James is sitting in his chair with his feet resting on a small desk perpendicular to the counter sitting against the entrance wall.

"Good afternoon, Lady West." His tone is layered with humor. The sound of 'Lady West' causes another pang in the back of her mind, but she waves it off,

"Good afternoon, Master of the Guard." She mimics his jovial nature.

"Ah, and Lady Vega. Good to see you as well…and your_ friends_." He smiled and threw up a hand as Tori entered the building, then he took a more inquisitive stance as he looked at the others.

"Yeah, we kind of let the cat out of the bag." Tori scratches her head as she approaches the counter.

"What bag?" Cat tunes in at the mention of her name. Tori reviews what she said in her mind then slaps her own forehead. Motioning to Cat,

"This is our friend, Cat." Jade finishes the introductions for Tori naming then down the line now all standing at the counter,

"And this is Beck, Andre, Robbie, and…Rex."

"Is he a Malacant?" James eyes the puppet half expecting it to leap at him.

"A what?" Robbie asks while returning James's stare.

"Living puppets, _creepy_ little bastards." James keeps both eyes firmly attached to the puppet.

"No, I think he's your standard dummy." Tori turns her attention from the doll, considering the possibility.

"Who you callin' dummy?" Rex fires at Tori with street jive.

"Well anyway…that didn't last long." James shifts away from the dummy argument.

"We were attacked by goblins, so it was kind of inevitable." Jade tosses out her words with a relaxed comfort.

"Goblins eh? Not exactly werewolves are they?" James chuckles lightly at remembering his encounters with the little green men.

"No, but they're still a pain in the ass." Everyone present nods in agreement with Jade.

"Especially those damn Wolgerrun, annoyingly little freaks." James's eyebrow starts twitching as he's now reliving some of those encounters.

"Fun to burn though." Jade smiles a devious grin as she flexes her hand.

"You're a sick one aren't you?" He raises an eyebrow. Jade simply widens the smile.

"Figures, and I suppose you have a thing for drowning Koupe-lé-jou." He then turns to Tori.

"I suppose that depends on what they are."

"Flesh-rending monsters that eat human babies." He says it with a flat tone.

"Then yes, I would love to drown Koupeléjou." Tori tries to match Jade's grin but can't quite compare.

"You two are going to make fine hunters." James then smiles big before he lets out a short thunderous laugh,

"Now what can I do for you today?"

"Nothing, we just wanted to show them around and explain everything." Tori motions to the gang as she speaks.

"Understood, but if you need anything I'll be here."

"Okay, thank you, James." He smiles as Tori uses his first name.

Once the intrepid young heroes ascend to the top floor they file into the living room.

"This place is pretty nice." Nodding in approvable as he speaks Beck surveys the room.

"I'm love'n the plasma screen." Andre eyes the 100in monster looking down upon them from the wall.

"Not why we're here." As Jade makes this declaration the others are brought back from their light daze.

"So?" Beck growing impatient.

"…What do you want to know?" Tori smiles innocently.

"Everything." His response is flat.

"Try to be more specific." Jade cuts into him with a mild sense of superiority.

"Unicorns!" Cat beams as she screams with glee. Tori and Jade cast a wary glance at each other.

"Are unicorns real?" Cat still incredibly enthusiastic.

"…Yes and no." Hesitating Tori answers softly. Cat's eyes begin losing some of their glee in exchange for confusion.

"They are, but aren't like you think." Tori continues nervously.

"I love unicorns." Cracking a devilish smile Jade reveals sincerity in her eyes for the announcement.

"Yeah…they kind of eat meat and spit venom." Uncomfortable the words slide off Tori's tongue quickly in a futile attempt to get the taste out of her mouth.

"And light themselves on fire." Adding her favorite part about the lethal creatures Jade is very happy with the looks on the guys faces. However Tori can't stand the devastated stare Cat is giving her,

"I'm so sorry, Cat." Tori notices that Cat's legs seem a bit shaky,

"Maybe you should sit down." Tori helps her horrified friend to the large leather sofa. Cat had no reason to doubt that Tori and Jade were telling her the truth and could not readily contain the effect of the images of a flaming horse in her mind.

"Okay…so what about vampires?" Recovering from the shocking news about unicorns Robbie inquires about his monsters.

"Not entirely sure, we only met one and he was a Vampire Lord." Jade fills in for Tori while she hugs a lightly sobbing Cat.

"What does that mean?" Robbie squints lightly.

"He could control werewolves…couple dozen of them." The look of fear on Robbie's face is rather pleasing to Jade. But before he can inquire further,

"Don't ask, don't know. But you can use the archive to find out." She points to the library door.

"Come on." She turns to the door waving for them to follow.

"Robbie, can you and Rex keep an eye on her." Tori gets up from the couch and heads for the door after Andre.

"…Sure." He really wants to know more about vamps, but opts to help a friend for a friend.

Jade strides over to the console and brings up the digital archive with swift hands.

"So what do you want?" She spins around in what most undoubtedly will be her chair.

"Werewolves and vampires." Monotonously Beck requests the beasts that put _his_ girl in harm's way.

"Are there any monsters that look human, other than vamps?" Andre asks with a casual calm.

"Plenty, anything more specific?" Jade is now glaring at Andre peevishly.

"…Coconut eating monsters." He tries to keep a goofy grin to hide his seriousness in knowing the truth about Sikowitz.

"Really, you think Sikowitz is a devil in disguise?" Jade catches who he's referring to immediately.

"Maybe."

"Alright I'll indulge your…fantasy. Honestly I would have thought you would have wanted to know about mermaids or elves, or maybe sirens." The goth returns to the console to begin her search.

"…psh…I would never." Andre shakes his head, though his voice and eyes betray him. Tori rolls her eyes as she approaches the ominous librarian,

"Get him those books too."

"Yes, mistress." Jade takes a very subservient tone as she bows her head slightly.

"Good, my pet. Then I need you to find me the Breeds of Dragons." Tori takes a commandingly seductive tone. Tori wishes to see if there is anything else of importance to know about Irot…then she can check on Cat.

"It would be my pleasure." She swiftly types in the requests and provides the locations of the desired books. Soon all but Jade are sitting at the table with books in hand intently researching their desired targets.

* * *

After a few minutes Robbie and Cat find their way into the room.

"Cat…it might be best if you stay in the living room and watch some TV. I don't think you want to read these books." Tori doesn't want her friend terrified by anything else she might uncover about any other '_innocent'_ creatures.

"…But why are unicorns…" Again tears are starting to form in the corners of the redhead's eyes, in sorrow her focus is dire.

"Jade can you pull up the History of Legion Warfare." The lesser spellcaster is surprisingly receptive of the request,

"Already done. Come here Cat, we'll get to the bottom of it." Cat grabs a chair and rolls over to Jade's side. Tori smiles to herself before addressing Robbie,

"What would you like to know about?"

"Vampires."

"Beck got that one." She motions to Beck, who is already lost in the text.

"…dragons?"

"Sorry." She brings up the book revealing a dragon on the front.

"…female creatures?" Tori looks over at her friend currently searching for the data on coconut eaters,

"Andre?"

"Here you go man, but I want it back." Andre points at him sternly after sliding the books over to him.

* * *

After nearly an hour of silently reading they reconvene in the living room.

"So?" Wielding a questioning smile Tori surveys her friends.

"Vamps are almost nothing like the stories. Garlic, sunlight, holy water, crosses, and wooden stakes are useless, unless the stake destroys the entire heart. Fire and beheading are the only way to waste a vamp, short of destroying the entire body. Of course they are fast and strong just like the movies, but can't transform or fly." Beck is unease at the difficulty of killing these monsters and how very easily Jade could have been killed.

"Wow, so they are pretty badass." Robbie briefly happy before Beck destroys his fantasy,

"More like just plain bad, they are all **evil** servants of the…Supreme Master; the king-vamp."

"Sounds like a fun guy." Jade being Jade.

"Find anything on Vampire Lords?" Tori interested in the one vamp they actual met.

"Basically super strong and fast vamps with the ability to manipulate lesser minds, like were-beasts…which are basically animals that are the fusion of a predator and a human or human like creature. They act like the animal they are partly composed of and can be killed like any animal. But silver is like poison to them, which kills them faster… So what about you guys?" Eager to change the subject he flops down on the couch, he's briefly distracted by the softness of the seat but also how it almost seems firm at the same time. He recovers quickly as he looks over at Andre still standing.

"There are an enormous number of humanoid monsters, but the most dangerous are these things called Half-bloods. Apparently they are half humanoid, humans or certain human like creatures, and half beast; that range from spider people to the super strong dragon-kin." Tori and Jade shoot each other a quick glance that speaks volumes of concern for Andre diving too deep into that particular subject.

"I found this being called a Loikfuj, they eat large amounts of coconuts and they do look human."

"You're shitting me? Sikowitz might actually be a creature?" Jade happily surprised by that discovery.

"I'm going with no. He's not very subtle, so he's probably just whacky." Tori quick to induce logic.

"Any other way to discern them?" Jade holds out hope.

"Nope."

"Well are they dangerous?" Tori now focusing on the more important issue.

"Completely harmless."

"Then why does it matter, he's not a threat either way." She shakes her head as she turns to Jade with a questioning look. She doesn't like the idea of misjudging someone because they might be a creature… the idea of what she is, is slowly starting to sink in.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry if you weren't in the mood for more share time… but seriously, you would all be in that archive for days researching…I know I would never leave…


	23. I Got The Moves Like Rocky

**AN**: And continue...

* * *

Since no one else says anything Jade steps forward,

"The Battle of Jupion Plains was fought nearly seven hundred years ago in Scotland. The High Guardsmen, a Scottish hunter order, were a small clan that made a deal with Drumdracar, a trans-dimensional God, for mounts that could turn the tide in combat against any foe. He gave them unicorns; they were majestic at range and fierce up close." Jade takes a breath,

"Now at **the** battle they were severely outnumbered, so the guardsmen spread the rumor that the unicorns were indeed weak to throw off the enemy… And during the battle the horde was so caught off guard by the viciousness of the unicorns that the Guardsmen won. Ever since the unicorn is referred to as harmless as a joke amongst hunters." Glad to be done with the long explanation Jade headed to the kitchen for a drink.

"I want to assume that someone heard the joke and thought it was _factual_ information and it spread from there." Tori trying to make the connection to the world thinking they were friendly. Jade nods as she drinks from a bottle of water. Before anything else can be said Cat speaks,

"But they are kind and loyal to their master." With her fantasies still possible Cat is rather happy and smiles as such, despite fire and venom. Tori shakes her head as she watches her friend find the silver lining, she called from her thoughts by Robbie,

"What about you Tori?" He is very interested in finding out more about dragons.

"There is an enormous amount of info on dragons, like I didn't get a fraction of the way into the book a lot. But I did find out that there are a crap ton of different types; wind, shadow, iron-plate, and sky just to name a few. There are elementals like pyro that are made of fire and then there are the lizard kind that have various unique properties like super thick skin or massive wings. The smallest dragons are the micro-rain dragons; they are only three inches long, but attack in swarms of hundreds. The largest is the dreadnaught; they tower at several miles long, but there aren't any records of any of them still around. " She takes a breath before finishing,

"Regardless of their size or species they were all created by either the forces of good or evil as guardians of various things from ancient relics to fortresses and sites of mystic power." Tori is still wondering where Charles is keeping Selrahc. Jade's eyes widen, but quickly return to normal once she realizes that no other creature would match the man named Weston. Tori did read up on dreadnaughts specifically for Selrahc, but had to provide a little filler for the others so they wouldn't even hint at suspicious.

"Miles? How in the hell would you kill something that big?" Beck going wide-eyed at the mentioning of the size.

"According to the records we won't have to." Tori simply looks at him deadpan.

"Right, they don't exist anymore. But damn, miles." Andre is lost in even being able to comprehend something that big.

"And you?" Jade having returned to the living room and now sitting on the sofa looks up at Robbie trying to move on before they depart for the training room.

"…uhm…sirens are rapists and pixies eat people. Mermaid s are friendly, but are allergic to human skin. Elves have a thing for the color purple and can use magic effortlessly."

"That was the most random hodgepodge of crap I've ever heard." Jade is almost laughing. But a small thought in the back of her mind forms around the similarity between elves and Tori; purple, gifted with magic, and to be honest her majestic presence.

"No kidding, the guy has no sense of delivery. It' sad really." Rex shakes his head.

"Robbie from now on let Rex tell us about what you find out." Tori looked at him sternly as the others agreed quickly. Robbie decides against any protest and sits quietly.

"Now that share time is over lets head down to the training room." Jade's voice peps up at the prospect of target practice.

"Training?" With a raised eyebrow Andre asks.

"I don't want a repeat of yesterday, so yes, training." Before they can log any protests she is gone heading for the elevator. Tori ushers everyone else out into the hall and on the lift bound for the second level basement.

* * *

They are all greeted by what appears to be an old boxing gym as the doors open. The majority of that floor has a fifteen foot ceiling with several stone and steel support columns. There is a boxing ring near the center of the gym and several punching bags along the wall with two large heavy bags on either side of the room. On the left side of the gym is a storage room for extra equipment and on the right side is the locker rooms and bathrooms. The back wall is lined with a long single wooden bench and a couple of water fountains.

"Top of the line facilities." Beck frowns at the 'dump'. It really isn't that bad but it does feel a bit dated and there is that slight scent of sweet still lingering.

"I like it, very _**Rocky**_." Jade smiles at both the kind of pain this place can inflict on the trainee and at the smell of dried blood that fills the air.

"I guess that makes me _Apollo_, _Rocky_." Tori gives Jade the _Rocky_ title at seeing her face as she surveys the room.

"Why can't I be _Apollo_? I can throw a mean right hook and am pretty light on my feet." Andre takes a boxing stance and feigns a right hook.

"Because you're the powerful _Clubber Lang_ and Beck's _Ivan_…Cat's…_Tommy Gun_ and Robbie's…_Mickey_." She smiles happily as she gets the much more powerful boxer. Andre considers being compared to the wreaking machine, then smiles at the compliment.

"Why am I _Mickey_?" Robbie almost in a whine as he gets the aged trainer.

"Cat verses you, who would win?" Rex charges him with the question.

"I'm _Mickey_." Everyone snickers.

With that Tori walks over to one of the heavy bags and starts a nice combo; left, right, left, left, left, right hook. Her punches are pretty solid but the bag starts swaying like she delivered serious hits.

'_What the hell? This bag isn't very heavy.'_ Her thoughts are interrupted by Andre moving behind the bag,

"Here let me brace it."

"Good. Now let's hammer this thing." Tori pulls back and slams the bag with a straight-up jaw-buster. Andre feels the impact force reverberate in his chest as he falls to the ground gasping for air.

"Andre! Are you okay?" Tori quickly drops to a knee beside him. He coughs and gives her a thumbs-up; knowing full well he just had the wind knocked out of him.

"Are you sure?" Her fear is dissipating as he nods.

"Damn, _Apollo_. No need to kill him." Jade strolls over, resting against the exceptionally heavy bag.

"I…I just hit the bag." Tori is feeling horrible.

"Sure, I believe you." Her sarcasm is a bit colder than intended.

"I did…maybe a little too hard." Tori now winching at the thought that she did swing too hard.

"You think?" Still cutting at the brutal boxer.

"I'm so sorry, Andre." Her grimace is easily visible.

"It's…good." The words come out as a wheeze.

"I call Cat as a sparring partner." Robbie is quick to declare his choice.

"And I'm switching to Andre, you two can club away at each other." Beck definitely doesn't want to be broken and bleeding because Jade got a little too into it.

"So I get stuck with Punchzilla, some boyfriend." Jade shakes her head at the cowardly rat.

"A dead boyfriend is good to no one." Beck helps Andre over to a bench, Cat has gotten him some water.

"Thanks, Cat." Beck hands the water to him as he thanks the _nurse_.

"Vega, no power crushers." Jade points at the brute with a stern expression.

"Fully understood."

"Now brace it." Tori is concerned Jade is going for a power swing, but holds the bag anyway. When the punch comes it's nothing but a love tap.

"You _can_ hit harder." Almost taunting her, Tori is internal cursing her automatic response.

"If you insist." Tori regretting opening her mouth as Jade grins. She brings back her fist and lets loose with her strongest blow. The impact is far less painful than Punchzilla expected, in fact it was painless,

"Nice hit." But there is no way in Hell she's telling Jade that.

"What no coughing?" Jade is shocked by how little that punch affected the brunette.

"None."

"Here let me hold that." Jade grabs the bag,

"Now punch as hard as with Andre." Tori is about to object but sees the fire in Jade's eyes and decides to swing away. Unlike Andre Jade barely feels the impact,

"Was that it?"

"Yeah, that's as hard as I can punch." Tori shares Jade's shock at how little the monster blow affected the goth, who though much fiercer than Andre was not theoretically stronger.

"That was pathetic." Jade sneers at her as she releases the bag.

"Thanks, but yours wasn't much better." Tori rolls her eyes. Jade takes a few swings at the bag being suspended by oversized chains. Each hit delivered causes the bag to sway more than it should, this causes the gears in Tori's head to start turning,

"Jade, how heavy do you think these bags are?"

"How would I know? And more importantly why does it matter?"

"Look at the chains that are holding it up. There ten times the size they should be." Tori points at the enormous chain that would normally be reserved for mooring large ships to docks.

"So?"

"…Why would you use chains that big to holdup a bag that should weigh less than the chains themselves?"

"Maybe when he goes half-blood?" Jade not really paying this particular subject much mind throws out the first thing that comes to mind. The goth's lazy tone grants her a scowl from the superior spellcastor, but after considering the answer,

"…Makes sense, but then why are the bags so light?" Jade's still not terribly interested and is about to voice her disinterest when Beck interrupts,

"Can you believe how heavy these bags are? It's like punching concrete." Beck shouts across the gym as he and the recovered Andre are taking a few swings at the other bag supported by a similar massive chain.

"…Yeah, **weird**." Jade answers him but quickly turns to Tori and adds,

"_Add it to the list."_ As if on instinct Tori had already drawn her phone,

"On it."

Hesitantly Robbie approaches the girls with a burning question,

"What exactly are we supposed to be doing down here again? I mean…" His inquiry has drawn the attention of Beck and Andre. Wasting no time whatsoever Jade provides an answer,

"We're using this facility to condition our bodies to be more resilient and capable in combat. How hard is that to comprehend?" And a biting question.

"Yeah, we hit the bags, spar in the ring, jump rope, and jog in place, or around the block." Tori opts to provide more of a useful answer. Jade rolls her eyes,

"Whatever it takes to make us more proficient in surviving future engagements. That means stamina, firearm, and hand to hand training, as much as possible."

"What about magic?" Robbie can't help himself, mostly because it is a valid question. Jade however feels uncomfortable with the idea of Robbie slinging fireballs about, but before she can slice in to him with an equally valid, yet brutally harsh answer Tori cuts in,

"We barely understand it ourselves, so as far as we know you can't even use it or if you can control it. We'll have to consult Weston before we proceed down that path." Her kind tone makes Jade wince internally, but also smile at not having to actually answer Robbie any more than she has to.

They proceeded to 'train' for the next hour. They didn't really have a regiment yet but gave it one hell of a try, and it went pretty well even when Robbie hit himself in the head with one of the punching bags...thrice.

* * *

As they were boarding the elevator Tori catches Andre and pulls him back into the gym by the wrist. Flooded with shame from her earlier action she waits for the elevator door to close before she speaks,

"Andre…I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's okay, no permanent damage." With a very Andre smile he pats his chest.

"If you're sure." Tori grimaces at the idea of hurting her best friend.

"I am." As she nods lightly, only half accepting his reassurance, the elevator door opens revealing a familiar barista,

"Oh, Ms. Vega. It's good to see you again." Wearing grey sweats with a blue gym bag slung over her shoulder the barista smiles at the surprised teen hunter.

"Sunny?" With a look of confusion Tori blurts out her name.

"Sunny?" Andre looks from Tori to Sunny trying to remember where he's heard that name before. Noticing Andre's reaction Tori makes the introductions,

"Oh, this is my friend Andre." She presents him with her hands while she keeps her gaze on Sunny before moving them toward the southerner and looking at Andre,

"And this is Sunny." Forgetting to lower his voice Andre remembers the name but has to ask,

"As in the hot Korean barista?"

"Uhm…?" Now Sunny is the one wearing a look of confusion and a little flush in her cheeks. Noticing the low red in the confectioner's cheeks Tori jumps into damage control mode,

"Sorry, our friend Jade made a reference to you earlier today."

"About?" Focusing on the 'hot' part of the description Sunny inquires.

"Your talent with desserts." Tori is very quick to answer, hoping to cut off Andre before he says something…regrettable.

"She did seem to really like them." Sunny knows that's there's more to it than that but decides not to push and instead plays along. Tori's content to continue this conversation,

"Well they were fantastic…But…why are you here?" Until it hits her that Sunny is in the second level sub-basement of a Hunter's building.

"I live on the fourth floor…and I sometimes come down here to train. I like to keep in fighting shape; I love my kick-boxing." Having dropped the bag Sunny throws a few quick jabs, very very quick jabs, and a crosskick, or more accurately a blur of a kick. Somewhat stunned by her speed and the fact that she was still in polite mode Tori,

"Maybe we should spar sometime."

"I'm free Saturday, if you still are." Sunny smiles as she brings her leg back down. Tori suddenly remembers why she's uncomfortable with this exchange and struggles for an out by turning to Andre,

"…I…we don't have any weird trips planned for this weekend, do we?"

"No, but then again Jade will probably have us jogging or at target practice until our fingers bleed." He only proves half useful in getting her out of a training session.

"Well, I'll be here if you want to stop by." Retrieving her bag Sunny moves past the two toward the bench along the wall.

"If Jade isn't too much of a slave-driver."

"Speaking of which, we better catch up." Andre finally provides an out for his uneasy friend.

"See ya'." Throwing up a little wave Sunny smiles at the sun-kissed spellcastor.

"Yeah, see ya'." Tori waves nervously as the doors close.

* * *

**AN:** Yeah, that wasn't awkward in the least.

That's not the sexy bit…that comes a wee bit later…promise.

As for the Rocky references I'm pretty sure I had just watched a Rocky marathon and it just stuck with me as I wrote this chapter, plus it's a training room so it felt right.

And please tell me someone gets the Title's reference.


	24. Tori's Got a Date With a Champion

AN: I don't think I actually have anything to say here except…Purple Banana Sunshine…did that summon a talking troll? If not, disregard this message and proceed with reading the story…

* * *

Tori sighs as the elevator begins to rise, her respite is almost nonexistent as Andre shoots her a curious statement,

"That was weird."

"What was?"

"That thing, between you and…Sunny." It takes him a second to remember the name. Tori drops her head and takes a deep breath before she raises her head and looks at her friend. Requiring a surprising amount of effort she forces herself to speak,

"Jade…asked her out for me." Realizing those were the worst possible words to use in trying to explain what happened she scrambles to think of the best way to continue. In her brief silence Andre's contorted face of confusion can only manage,

"What…?" Before he is interrupted by Tori,

"She wanted to push the game a lot further than she should have…and Sunny asked me out, sort of. So, there's that plus the fact that I didn't expect to see her until Sunday."

"So…she thinks you're actually gay…and wants to take you out, on a date?" He almost can't believe how outrageous that sounds, then he remembers '_duh, it's Jade, of course she would'_.

"Yeah, and I don't really want to tell her the truth, because of what she'll think of us."

"It'll be worse if you don't tell her. I mean lying is no way to start a relationship." He smiles slyly. Tori rolls her eyes,

"I'm going to tell you what I told Jade, 'no using other people in our jokes'."

"Okay." He throws up his hands in a complete surrender fearing her iron fist.

* * *

"Where were you two?" Beck asks as he notices them stepping out of the elevator.

"Tori's got a date with Sunny." His surrender was an obvious ruse.

"What did we just talk about?" Tori turns to him with hurt and very angry eyes. Jade just looks at her with confusion. Sighing heavily Tori clarifies,

"Apparently Sunny lives on the fourth floor."

"No shit!… Is she a hunter?" First she's ecstatic, because the possibility of more free heavenly food was a massive win in her book. But then she reasons that if you're in a hunter building well… hunter.

"I didn't think it was a good idea to ask." Tori wasn't really sure how to approach getting someone to confess to being a hunter, short of gunning down a werewolf, so she didn't make the attempt…that and the whole 'date' thing made it even more awkward.

"James, is Sunny a hunter?" Jade looks over to the man, strangely enough eating a donut. He castes his eyes over and away from his raspberry filled treat before,

"Nope." His response elicits a confused look on Jade and Tori's faces, so he continues,

"More than just hunters come through here. There are nine other floors of apartments in this building."

"Thanks." Jade and Tori respond in unison, not really wanting to get into Charles's tenant selection process.

"No problem." He resumes eating his donut and reading a book on his reasonably sized pear-pad.

"So, where are you going on your date?" Jade stares at Tori with a devilish grin.

"It's not a date. It's just sparring in the training room." Still irritated Tori simply relays information.

"Yeah, two hot sweaty girls showering together after an exhausting workout, where their bodies were constantly in close contact. Not a date, but you might have to tell your parents that 'rough lesbian sex' is no longer a joke." Of course Jade makes the whole idea of a little innocent sparring into a lesbian porn vid.

"Funny." Tori with a light sneer.

"I like to think so." Jade smiles impishly.

"Jade." Tori's tone gets deeper and more foreboding.

"Vega." Jade with the exact opposite, almost Cat like… creepy right? Realizing that scaring Jade requires werewolves endangering her life Tori switches to begging, a West favorite,

"Can we **please** not make these jokes at other people's expense?"

"Have we met?" Jade doesn't take the pleading.

"Sunny is a ranked kick boxing champ, even took down that Shelby Marks girl with one punch. If that affects this discussion any." With James's unexpected input Jade's eyes widen,

"No more jokes at her expense, fully understood."

"And you're the one who has to tell her you were joking." Tori seizes upon the opportunity.

"Not without my gun."

"Jade." Tori says her name flatly accompanied by dead eyes as she stares at her.

"Vega." Jade tries to counter but can't…quite…win,

"…fine but you're coming with me."

"I'd rather not." Tori crosses her arms and looks away, but she can feel Jade staring at her with her own technique and,

"…fine, but if she starts kicking I'm running." She then points to the door.

"If she starts **punching** I'll be gone."

"The fearless Jade West is afraid of a little kick boxing?" Now Tori finally gets to tease.

"Yes. Yes I am, because I like breathing." Jade stands proudly.

"And I don't?" Tori motions to her own chest with both hands.

"No, you're Tori the helpful sunshine knight." Jade smiles. Tori can't quite process that weird title,

"Excuse me."

"Tori the Somewhat Kinda' Good Witch?" Now she's just fishing for something to distract her from the 'confront the kick-boxer about inappropriate jokes' thing.

"You're really bad at compliments." Tori shakes her head lightly.

"It's the lack of practice." Beck pipes up. Jade shoots him a look. Tori begins bargaining,

"I'll go with you if…"

"I kiss you?" Jade needs to recover her position of taunting queen. The rest of the group takes this as par for the course, however James does caste them a brief look before shrugging and finishing one last donut.

"No. If you…Damn it! I forgot what I was going to say." The spellcastor superior is getting very agitated at how Jade can keep distracting her.

"I'll hug you in public, ONCE." Jade holds up a single finger right in front of Tori's face.

"How do you keep doing that?" In complete disbelief Tori must know the answer to this question to stop further mind probing if at all possible.

"You mean knowing what you're going to say before you do?" The future NRA member senses her enthusiasm and adds a teasing subtext.

"Yeah." Tori's eagerness burns with that one acknowledgement.

"You're easy to read and I'm smarter than you." The arrogant answer to her own question incites the Latina more, much to Jade's delight.

"Chess nerd." Tori snorts.

"Sunshine Knight." Grinning like a fool she uses the term that she might actually use to describe Tori in future engagements.

"I like sunshine." Cat buzzes into the conversation interrupting the flow.

"As do I, little one." James stands as he speaks. His shift is over and he's all too happy to step away before anyone throws a fireball.

"So…anyway are we done for today?" Robbie also fears 'friendly fire'.

"Yeah, you can scatter to the four winds. I on the other hand have to inform a certain kick-boxer that her date is straight." Jade loathes the very idea but speaks more melodramatically, with unnecessary hand movement no less. After a pause Tori speaks sheepishly,

"…I'll tell her." Jade glares at her,

"Are you kidding me? After all that you just surrender like it doesn't matter, what the hell?" The anger pours forth, but only to mask the relief or is it to amplify the hurt of not being needed?

"I had the opportunity to tell her the truth multiple times on Sunday and another just a few minutes ago…I owe her and it's not really your fault you're Jade after all." Tori smiles nervously. This kindness only pisses Jade of further,

"Damn it, Vega!... Let's go." Jade turns and boards the elevator with Tori's left wrist secure in her right hand. Tori waves to the others with her free hand as the doors close. Jade catches James saying something to Robbie, but doesn't hear it.

* * *

Once the lift was in motion Jade releases her grip and turns to Tori with a,

"I hate you." Filled with actually animosity. Tori however,

"I know. I love you too." She smiles like a true fool.

"I'm goin' vomit." Jade proceeds to feign the vomiting.

"Kittens and rainbows. Kittens and rainbow…" Tori begins a little chant but is interrupted by a slug to the arm,

"Owh…that hurt." She rubs the sore spot on her arm with a look of hurt in her eyes.

"I know." All Jade can do is grin after her acknowledgement.

The doors open to reveal Sunny has abandoned her sweats for a blue sports bra and short blue shorts, while white training tape is bound around her hands and bare feet. Gracefully doesn't begin to describe her movement, truly she defines the concept 'float like a butterfly', because she does float about almost as if in slow motion. That is until she strikes the new heavy bag hanging from the ceiling. Her punches and kicks are…beyond 'stings like a bee', hell she was more like 'strikes like a cobra'. Fast and lethal, that fit her to a tee, but then there was the floating…it was kind of mesmerizing, hypnotizing even...

It took the girls a second to snap out of their 'cobra daze'. Tori looks over to Jade and barely whispers,

"_Are you sure you want to be here?"_

"Why? Do you want to be all alone with her?" Her tone was somewhat suggestive.

"Yeah, that was my master plan. Get her alone while pretending to apologize that way I can carry on a secret lesbian relationship while making you think I'm straight. This all in an effort to lull you into a false sense of security so I can have both of you in a surprise dynamite threesome that makes us all scream so loud that Beck knows no matter where he is in L.A. Then we live orgasmic-ly ever after." She looked over at her with a rather deadpan expression.

"That was disturbingly long to have been created on the fly or be based entirely in fiction." Jade was mildly unnerved by this rather lengthy speech.

"What're you trying to say?" Tori counter was look of mild confusion, _'didn't she get that it was an obvious joke?'_

"That you may not be as straight as you think. And maybe I should stop with the teasing before I find myself naked in your arms." Now Jade's face was plastered with concern.

"Interesting." Tori grinned, _'nice try Jade.' _Jade's only response was a look of confusion.

"So, you're saying if I tried to seduce you, it would work?" With her grin widening Tori shifts her weight to one foot and bats her eyelashes.

"No, I was saying that I don't want to be raped." Jade answers deadpan.

"That's not what it sounded like to me." Tori's voice seems to have gotten very cheery and slightly seductive.

"That's what all rapist say." Now with a condescending smile Jade stares at her.

"This is getting dark. I don't want to rape you, or sleep with you or even see you naked in the shower covered in soapy suds and slowly…" Tori slyly shifts from serious to just shy of moaning out the last few words. Jade intercedes before it goes any further,

"Really and you're not seeing that as gay? Actually going into detail about me in the shower." She takes a step back toward the elevator. Tori can't contain a laugh,

"You know I'm kidding right? I mean this is our thing." She snickers as she motions to the two of them. Jade's eyes go wide before very quickly returning to normal,

"Right! Of course. It's not like I actually thought you were thinking of me like that." She tries to display calm but her eyes betray her nervousness.

"Sure. If you say so." Narrowing her eyes Tori tries to see past the ruse.

"God, Vega. I was doing it too." Jade finally relaxes showing her true self behind the shell. The grin she displays is soaked in her brand of cocky. Tori however smiles internally, _'I knew it.'_ But instead of being an ass about it,

"Good, because you actually scared me a little. You're a really good actress…I know you don't need me to tell you that, but I mean it." Her voice becomes sincere and truthfully, she was thoroughly impressed by the gothic actress.

"Damn it, Vega! Only you could turn a little friendly teasing about us being fake gay into an actually gay moment." Rolling her eyes she sighs. Tori's about to say something but is cutoff,

"But… you were pretty damn convincing yourself. I may have been a little concerned that I was going to end up kissing you." And, _'she was damn good, I really do underestimate her prowess.'_

"Kissing me? You mean being kissed by me right? Right?" Tori sees through it again and again she shows her false concern.

"Gotcha'." Jade grins evilly, as if she just defeated the superhero after years of failure.

"I may be a little too gullible. I need to work on that." Not that she'll ever admit it but she has grown unaccustomed to that smirk and was willing to be called gullible to see, _'but I am kind of gullible.' _At this thought she frowns for real.

"Yeah, big time." Jade laughs lightly.

* * *

**AN:** How was that last conversation? I kind of felt like it was a bit abnormal, not that anything I do is normal, but still. It feels different… mostly because this is where I started writing again after about five months of letting it stew, so I can't expect it to be the same.

The real question is what do you guys think of the newest chapter?


	25. Cheetah or Leopard

**AN:** There are going to be parts where Sunny thinks to herself…where the boldface inside is another part of her talking to herself… ex:_ 'I like pancakes…__**I know you do**__…I love pancakes…__**I get it!...**__You don't have to shout…__**Really?**__' _

I just wanted to make sure no one is confused by it… and I know some of you will love it.

* * *

Tori takes a deep breath as she prepares herself for the conversation ahead. When she takes a step toward the Campion, Jade makes a beeline toward the bathroom with a brief,

"Got'a pee." Tori drops her head, _'sure and I'm a weremoose.'_ This thought actually makes her chuckle ,for two reasons; first the very idea of a half man with moose antlers, then because there's no such thing as herbivore were-beasts. Feeling a little better she moves closer to Sunny.

Once she's a couple yards away, because spooking a ranked fighter while in striking distance is the very definition of stupid,

"Uhm…Sunny?" Her voice is understandable timid. Sunny delivers a brutal crosskick, which makes Tori cringe. But the fighter smiles,

"Back so soon, Ms. Vega? Did you forget something?" She takes the time to take a few deep breaths.

"No… Actually I needed to talk to you about something… and its Tori." She smiles lightly as she tries to be more casual and friendly, but the sweat on her brow betrays her.

"Oh, all right. But do you mind if I finish up first, I hate to break my rhythm." This is as much truth as an attempt to let Tori collect her thoughts.

"I guess I'll just…take a few swings over here then." She motions to one of the original heavy bags as she begins moving toward it.

"Careful, those are pretty heavy. There's a switch on the wall near the elevator that controls the bags. You might want to try a lighter one." Sunny points to the wall near the elevator. Tori simply looks at her with confusion. Sunny breaks her stance and moves closer as she speaks,

"There are multiple heavy bags and obstacles in the ceiling and floor that can be controlled using that panel. You know for multiple opponent and obstacle training. Those two bags are for _special_ heavy weight fighters, not ideal for a novice." Sunny speaks and moves with great confidence as she motions to the floor, ceiling and finally the heavy bags. Tori notices the 'special' comment and begins to wonder how much the Georgia native actually knew about those bags, but instead of pursuing that pitfall of a route she instead goes the friendly path,

"And what about me says I'm a novice?" All said in a 'don't underestimate me' tone.

"Everything." Sunny smiles with bravado.

"You're not as…" Tori notices this one-eighty in her personality.

"Shy? Timid? Nervous?" As expected Sunny lists these with more bravado.

"Yeah."

"When I'm at work I like to be polite, it keeps things moving smoothly. But here I don't have to worry about upsetting a customer, so I…" She sighs before pointing to her head and,

"Let my hair down." Afterward she looks up with a grin. Tori can't help but snicker. Sunny rolls her eyes,

"Yeah, yeah. So now that you've thoroughly screwed up my regiment, what can I help you with?" Tori's moment of joy is now replaced by nervous terror,

"Sorry… I'm…not gay." She tightens her muscles in her legs and slightly adjusts her feet to better prepare to run if the rest of her confession requires it, but,

"And?" Sunny stares with the lazy question.

"…" Completely stunned Tori loosens her stance and relaxes as she stares at her.

"You were pretty loud when you were defending my…" The barista bobs her head for a bit before the word comes to her,

"Honor." She smiles lightly. Tori's eyes are a little widened,

"So you did hear us… Oh, crap." Feeling like a horse's ass she brings her right hand up to mouth level then proceeds to drop her forehead into her open palm with a light smack. When she lifts her head she smiles thinly,

"That's a relief, but I am sorry if you were offended by Jade and me."

"Yeah, because I'm going to go psycho killer just because you two are such good friends that you can make those kind of light-hearted little jokes with each other at each other's expense…for the most part." After realizing that she was part of the joke she felt a little stupid for everything else she just said, but nevertheless she keeps the smirk. Tori lets her keep the moment and remains silent.

"It's fine. I don't mind. But you owe me a sparring match Saturday." Sunny points at her with conviction and a serious stare. Tori surrenders,

"…okay, I'll be here."

Noticing the continued absence of the other individual to exit the elevator Sunny looks over at the restrooms,

"Ms. West seems to be taking quite a bit of time in the restroom."

"Avoiding you're iron fists most likely." Tori shakes her head.

"Are ya' goin' in after her?" Sunny looks at Tori and motion with her head toward the locker room.

"I could leave her here, but she is my ride…so I guess." She sighs and begins to move toward the aforementioned room.

"…I'd offer to give you a lift, but I ride a moped." Sunny is honestly nervous about this little statement, but feels that it's only right to make the offer, even it sounds slightly suggestive. Tori senses her discomfort and smiles,

"It's fine, I'll just go get the cowardly tiger." Sunny was Dorothy in her elementary school play and knows for a fact that it was a,

"Lion." And she speaks with absolute confidence.

"Uh-oh right, sorry." Tori is briefly confused by this, but snaps back,

"Jade's never really seemed like a lion, much more like a tiger." She hopes her foolish reference to Edaj (she mentally slaps herself multiple times for this slip) is explained by this…and for that matter hopes that Sunny sees a reasonable difference between the similar big cats.

"Ah, then my mistake." Sunny knows that a tiger is indeed different in many ways from a lion and gets that maybe this is an inside joke between the two very odd girls, _'maybe a secret lover's joke? Tiger in bed maybe? I wonder what Tori's is then…__**Not the time for this Sunny**__…maybe a cheetah or a leopard?...__**NOT NOW!**__'_ Quickly she snaps herself out of such thoughts and prays to God that she didn't make a face while she zoned out, _'OH God! I didn't zone out did I? Frag me…__**You're doing it again!**__'_ She smiles hoping for the best.

"It's not a problem, Jade doesn't exactly fit the term normal, then again very few people who attend Hollywood Arts do." Tori speaks as if nothing had just occurred to the infinite joy of the barista. However a sinister grin does grace her face,

"If I didn't know better I could swear you're bragging in an attempt at flirting." Tori is completely mortified; she had so feverishly lectured Jade about this kind of thing and now she herself may have been guilty of the very same act. So it was completely understandable that she was nervous,

"Uhm…" Until Sunny, figuring she's owed at least one joke lets a snicker slip. Tori narrows her vision as she looks at her expressionlessly,

"That's not funny."

"I disagree, she's hilarious." Emerging from behind one of the steel/stone supports Jade is grinning diabolically.

"Done hiding?" Tori glares at her with a thin smile.

"For now, but I still reserve the right to run."

"I seriously doubt I'm going to get back to my workout now." Sunny feels her adrenaline rush has completely faded away.

"I doubt you need it that bad." Jade scoffs.

"You are really fast." Tori can't shake the memory of her speed from earlier.

"And the best way to keep that speed and preserve my other skills is to keep up a routine." She throws a few lightning quick jabs.

"Well if you need to keep up your other skills I think Tori might be able to help you with them." Jade's face is emotionless, though Tori senses something about her statement,

"She knows I'm straight."

"I was talking about fighting, gee Vega." For whatever reason Jade can't stop her grin, despite a reasonable effort.

"Sure. I believe you." With eyes rolling Tori smiles.

After a moment of silence Sunny grins, then,

"So…are we going to have a 'dynamite' threesome, or was that just a joke too?" Tori's eyes go super wide before she finally regains the power of speech,

"…You heard that too?"

"Really good hearing." Sunny points at her right ear. Tori brings up both of her palms and slams her head into them, then whacks her head a few times with her right hand and curses herself,

"Idiot!" Jade can't stop herself from laughing out loud. Sunny winces at the impacts of Tori's hand. After one last hit Tori grabs her head with that hand and starts laughing. The two have to hold each other up as the intensity of the hilarity begins to destabilize them.

Sunny simply thinks to herself, _'Yep, they're a couple. Still sexy though…__**Sunny, stop it**__…But they're so cute together…__**I'm you, stupid. I'm not disagreeing, just saying that this isn't the time**__…Then when?...__**Later, you know in the shower**__…Good call, me…__**I'm aware.**__' _Tori, having recovered from her bout of laughter, looks at the blank expression on Sunny's face,

"Are you okay?" It takes her a second to recover from the thoughts…and even then all she can muster is,

"…huh?"

"You kind of zoned out for a second." Tori looks a little worried.

"Just thinking." She shakes her gentle as she smiles.

"Probably about you naked, Vega." Jade smirks as she looks over at the mighty mage.

"Jade, just because she's gay doesn't mean she thinks about every girl like that." Tori's tone is dead serious… But how little she knows of Sunny's little fantasy…not that she does think about every girl like that, in fact she can be rather picky…but Tori and Jade fit her standards rather nicely.

"Guys do and we think about guys the same way." Jade winks at Tori.

"You do, I like to have some decorum." Tori's tone shifts to a more prudish flavor.

"Really, so you didn't think any impure thoughts about that new guy Tom?" She noticed that Tori may have stolen a few glances before the whole werewolf incident.

"No, why? Did you?" Tori on the other hand has no idea what she's talking about.

"Duh, he's got a great ass." She's as blunt as a sledgehammer.

"Tasteless." Returning to prudish Tori shakes her head in disapproval.

"More like tasty." Grinning Jade licks her lips.

"He did have a nice smile, but I have other things on my mind right now." The mighty mystic confesses, sort of.

"Like me?" The gun-lover smirks.

"You know it, babe." Tori plays along apparently ignoring the barista looking at them.

"Awe, always so sweet. I'll have to reward you later." Her eyes seem to be undressing her in preparation.

"I can't wait. I'll bring the leather." Tori beams.

"I always knew you were into the kinky stuff, no one is that prudish." Jade's is fairly certain that Tori is actually into that kind of stuff and she's just using this as an excuse to say it out loud without any real judgment.

"What can I say, I love the sound of a whip cracking against my soft bronzed skin. The feeling of the pleasure surging through every fiber of my being as you soothe the pain with your soft, gentle kisses. The very though makes me want to see you in your tight leather suit with the exposed…" The spell-weaver's torrent of sexy is made infinitely more sensual by her seductive tone and body's slow gentle movement closer to Jade. She's stopped by Jade raising a single hand,

"Not in public." She then grins as she motions to Sunny, who doesn't seem to be affected in the least… of course on the inside, _'Holy Shit! That was hot!...__**no fucking kidding, dumbass**__…She is so sexy…__**Again, no shit!**__...I think…__**I know**__.'_

"Sorry, I think I got a little too into that." Tori is completely horrified for forgetting about Sunny's presence.

"Like I said, 'In your arms' and 'naked'." Jade on the other hand is delighted to no end by this little display and can't help but remind Tori of the last time she went this far, which was like twenty minutes ago.

"…Sorry for interrupting your training and the gay jokes and the weird sexy talk…stuff." The dragon-mage's face is a lovely shade of red as she apologizes furiously, and the truth is it's only embarrassment. Jade snickers, earning her a sharp glare from Tori, which only makes the gun-lover snicker more.

"It's alright. No harm, no foul." Sunny speaks perfectly calmly, despite her internal chaos.

"Okay, well… I'll see you Saturday." Regardless of this weirdness Tori plans on keeping her word and will spar with Sunny on Saturday, but doesn't really want to see her beforehand, if only because of this…incident.

"See ya'." Sunny throws her a two finger half salute.

"Yeah, bye." Jade does the same to Sunny, whose response is a nod and,

"Bye." At this last farewell she turns back toward her heavy bag, in a hope to release a _certain stress_ with violence against a harmless bag. Jade and Tori are bound for the lift.

"_She totally wants you."_ Jade leans over and whispers as they board the elevator.

* * *

**AN:** Love, hate, input, then please review.

And I pray that the Sunny internal dialogues were entertaining.

Oh, and no, there will not be any Sunny/Tori action…or Jade/Sunny either. I'm saving Sunny for another…But I won't say who…mahahahhahahah :{)


	26. The Other Guys

**AN:** The Title says it all…

And Happy (Observed) Memorial Day: Regardless of the politics, the years served, or the theater of war we all owe an unequivocal debt to those who have and are willing to pay the ultimate price to defend our respective nation**s**...

* * *

While Jade and Tori descend to the second level basement James leans over and speaks to Robbie,

"So…do you need the location of a guy who makes fireproof clothing?" Understandable Robbie is thoroughly confused,

"Uh?"

"I can tell that at some point in the near future one of them is going to throw a fireball at you." James speaks flatly.

"Wh-why?" Robbie with a rather obvious look of shock on his face.

"Trust me, I've been doing this for over forty years and I can tell when someone is annoying enough to make a mage throw a fireball at them." He does internally shudder at his own experience in this field and how lucky he was that the mage only threw a warning shot.

"Looks like he's got you pegged, Robbie." Andre draws the attention of the two into the little circle behind them.

"I'm not annoying." Robbie's not even able to convince himself of this as he smiles nervously, hoping that someone will agree with him.

"Uh-huh, sure if you want to keep living in your little fantasy world." Rex's words cut deep.

"I still think he's a malacant." James narrows his vision on the puppet.

"So living puppets are **that** evil." Beck finds it hard to believe that a piece of wood and cloth could be lethal.

"Malacants pull the strings of people, lovely bit of irony there I guess. But it's still nightmarish to have to fight your own comrades just to kill it." A little gloom taints his voice as his eyes harden.

"Bad personal experience?" Beck can feel his demeanor is shifting toward the negative.

"Mixed. If it wasn't for my first malacant, which was my first creature encounter, I wouldn't be a hunter. But then again, I wouldn't be a hunter. This life ain't easy, you're going to see a lot of terrible shit… however it does feel good to be one of the guys protecting the world from evil." After a roll-a-coaster of emotional turmoil James settles on pride.

"So an evil mind controlling puppet was your first monster?" Beck understands how crappy that must have been, hell he got goblins and wasn't exactly doing well… or almost pissed himself, either or.

"Body-controlling, it's much worse because you have to helplessly watch as you do bad things… But yeah, I was just a young soldier serving in the early years of Vietnam until one of those things took out damn near my entire unit with a group of farmers… You could see the look on their faces, they didn't want to do it, but had no choice…" His eyes take on a ghostly frost as the memory tries to claw its way into his mind…but before it consumes him he snaps back,

"I'll skip the gory details and just say that if it wasn't for the Legion I'd be dead. I owed them my life and they got forty-two years of it." He shows no signs of the previous emotion as he beams with a little pride at his length of service, especial considering very few make it twenty years without dying, going evil, or going insane.

"You've been doing this for a long time… what do you know about magic?" This isn't exactly the smoothest transition, but Robbie is going to seize any opportunity he can to find out about magic. After a brief beard scratch James speaks very casually,

"…Enough to survive a few angry mages." He does respect the boy for his straightforwardness, but also isn't sure that hunting is his field… Leaning on the counter Beck lazily clarifies Robbie's intent,

"He wants to know if just anyone can use it."

"Yes, all humans can use low level very basic spells. In fact the Legion has the five basic spells that are considered the most useful taught as part of the standard training course. But it takes a unique individual to be able to use the stronger stuff." His glances over at the elevator with cagy eyes, the others don't notice the action. However Robbie is very happy to hear about him being able to use magic and,

"So you do know a few spells?"

"Yes, but only the five. I was never talented with mystic chanting." James shakes his head at the whole magic thing. Despite having been saved by more than one of the five spells and more than a few mages, he still doesn't care for magic…too metaphysical for his tastes, he will always prefer bullets and cold steel.

"Can you teach me?" The ventriloquist takes a respectful tone, but it's about to be washed away by the excitement he's suppressing…rather poorly mind you.

"There isn't much to teach, just recite the spell. Here I'll write down the first two." He moves back behind the counter and grabs a small piece of yellow paper and scribbles down the spells.

"Only two?" Disappointment graces Robbie's face.

"The last three are more dangerous and I just met you. These two are relatively safe, so you can get the hang of it." He hands him the paper and nods.

"Thanks."

"In fact it wouldn't hurt for all of you to learn them. I mean they're taught because they can be invaluable in a pinch." James glances around at the others.

"I guess I could learn a little magic." Andre happy to give it a try if it might save his life down the line.

"Alright, but I don't want to hurt anyone." Cat bounds over to see the words written on the paper. James sighs, _'God, please keep an eye on her, you know she needs it.'_ With his prayer recited he proceeds,

"…The first is a flare; used to signal other units or call for help with a lovely little flash of green light. The second is a mystic flashlight, very useful if your batteries die or you're suddenly in darkness without one."

"Why would we suddenly be in darkness?" Beck shakes his head as he tries to think of any situation when that would happen. James requires no time to answer as he draws from his own experiences,

"Traps, weak floorboards, or unexpectedly chasing a monster into darkness. It happens more than you think… But there're two things about the torch, you have to say, 'Dissatra', in order to dismiss it and it will continuously draw energy from you as long as it exists, so you **will** need to dismiss it if you start feeling a little weak."

"And the other three? Robbie's inquisition garners a sigh from James,

"…Three is an emergency fireball spell in case you run out of ammo or find yourself in a really tight spot. The fourth is a minor healing spell, but like all healing spells it requires focus and a reasonable amount of energy, so for now it's off-limits. And the final spell…have you seen MIB?" His pause is a flash of brilliance in explaining this trickier last spell.

"Yeah, why?" Most of them speak simultaneously, accompanied by looks of confusion. James grins,

"That little pen that erases memory was inspired by this spell. It erases the last twenty-four hours of the memory of anyone who sees it. Incredibly useful for hunter operations. The time lost can be decreased if you have proper training… and it only works on humans. It should be obvious why I'm not teaching you this spell." He stares at them accusatorially.

"I wouldn't teach that spell to Jade, she would enjoy it **way** too much." Andre definitely doesn't want chunks of his memory removed at her pleasure.

"I'm surprised she doesn't already know it, considering her and Tori have Charles's spellbook…" Then the full implication of that hits him,

"Come to think of it, I should really confiscate that… then again Charles did give it to them…" Seeing as he has spent the mass majority of his life in service to the Legion and consequently it's leader he knows full well that Charles doesn't do things without reason or cause, plus,

"Obviously they aren't just reading from it carelessly or they would have already read the memory eraser and none of you would be in this building right now." His own point has brought about a rather interesting little dilemma. To combat this he boards the elevator and ascends to his floor, deciding to sleep on it.

This action leaves the others in a state of mild confusion before they shrug and head out. Beck looks back at the lift, '_Jade, what in the world have you gotten us into?'_, then he's gone out the door.

* * *

In a club called Blood Creu, a lovely little creature only mixer, Dan Glyphson and Justin DuCox arrive through the back entrance. Reginald Boreas; a short raven-haired, clean shaven man of only about four foot three but with a build akin to iron, and Felicity Sol; a medium length red-haired woman standing at five-eleven with a slender build and long thin fingers, are already waiting backstage when the two ascend the steps. The Scotsman's thick ascent cleaves into the two of them,

"What kept th' two of' ya'?" Reginald's slate grey eyes fall on Dan, the one who is usually responsible for…any problems really.

"Don't look at me. Justin was late picking me up." Dan grins big as it wasn't actually his fault for once.

"Weston's apprentices were…having a rather interesting conversation." Justin drops his head in shame of this dishonest action. Dan's grin increases ten-fold,

"Eavesdropping is my thing. Being noble and honorable is yours." Justin cuts the Dan a razor's glare.

"So, what did they say?" Felicity's charming South African ascent causes Justin to look up and meet her gorgeous deep sea blue eyes. He has to tear himself away in order to concentrate enough to remember any of the conversation,

"I think…one of them is dating Sunny." Reginald grins, _'Aye', now tha't would be inter'estin'._' Dan however completely dismisses this,

"Nah, they're a couple." He picks up the crocodile skin guitar case setting on the amp…what he's a snake, not a croc.

"Who?" Felicity cocks her head as she waits for Dan. He turns around after retrieving the black nineteen-fifty-two Gibson with a white rose on the guard and slings the strap over his shoulder,

"The apprentices, they're together. I can feel it." He has no doubt that they're a couple, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary…well semi-overwhelming. Justin may be younger than the other males in the group, Dan was significantly older than his twenties appearance let on and Reginald was basically a living fossil, but he's fairly certain that's not true,

"I don't think so. I didn't get that energy from them." He moves over to grab his signature dark blue Rickenbacker bass with gold trim.

"What did you get from them?" Dan with a smirk as he strums a few chords.

"There's this familiar feeling when they approach, but I…can't quite…place it." Justin starts to scratch the top of his head as he makes a minor adjustment to his instrument with the other hand.

"Ya' mean th' same feeling whenev'r Weston's near?" Reginald had already prepared his drums so he had no need to multitask.

"…Now that I think about it, yeah." Justin bobs his head in agreement as he simultaneously approves of the sound of his bass. Dan looks over at Reginald with a smile and a raised eyebrow,

"Should we finally tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Justin looks up at them with confusion.

"Do you think Weston is human?" Dan asks slyly.

"Of course, what else would he be?" Justin feels this is one of their tricks.

"I'm rather curious myself." Felicity had been double checking her cherry red Fender Stratocastor while she mused over this little discussion, but now her interest has been fully peaked.

"Reggie, would you like the honors?" Dan does a deep bow to the shorter man.

"It' t'would be me pleasure, Danny." Now they are both wearing a diabolically joyful grin,

"He's ah Dra'goon. And I'd be willing ta' bet ya', so 'are those two lasses."

"Dragoon? Are you sure?" Both Felicity and Justin are completely shocked by this, '_the legendary Dragoons!'._ Justin can't imagine how many times he simply considered Weston a human and now his apprentices, _'This can't be happening.'_ Felicity has a slightly lesser reaction, having not met the girls yet, _'He always had a powerful presence, but a Dragoon…'_

"We both saw him turn. It t'was quite ah sight, seeing one of' tho'se beasties slaugh'ter ah few doz'en were-bears." If at all possible his ascent gets thicker as he grins like a fool and slaps Dan on the back, rather hard. Dan laughs it off with the joyous Scotsman, the sight of the two cubs' bewilderment is more than blissful to the aged warriors.

Their laughter comes to an end as a blonde male elf informs them that's they're on. They recollect themselves and prepare for the curtain to rise.

"Beasts of all species, we have a very special treat tonight. The one and only…**River of Steeeeelllll!..."** The satyr announcer's voice is rapidly drowned out by the excited cheers of the creature crowd. The curtain rises on one of the biggest rock bands to every grace the beast world. Then the crowd grows dead quiet as Dan approaches the mic…

* * *

**AN:** So, was that weird or what? I'm not terribly likely to continue with the **_River of Steel_ **angle…I just wanted to give Justin and Dan a bit more of a story…and maybe a possible tie-in later, but again unlikely.

Oh and an apology to any Scotsmen/women reading this, I don't know much about writing heavy Scottish accents but wanted to make **damn** sure people got that Reggie had one, because he's pretty awesome… and on another note kind of inspired by '**Trick**' from **Lost Girl**.

**P.S.:** Should Robbie invest in some fireproof clothing?

And yes the next chapter is Jade and Tori…

-May Dread watch over you- (this is my new signature/monk chant thingy, to ward off evil spirits and bad luck.)


	27. Poisoned Tea or Jason's Machette?

**AN:** And now the reason you guys read this story, Jori… er, Tori and Jade just being friendly…(author whistling innocently)…;{)

* * *

As the elevator begins to rise Jade leans over,

"So anything else on Irot?" Tori was expecting something else about Sunny so she is caught completely off-guard,

"Uh? Oh...not really, just logistics, statistics, and general details. Nothing to helpful, interesting-ish, but not really useful… Edaj?" But as it seems is quick to recover.

"Well, I didn't really have the chance to read up on her, you know with Cat?" Jade smirks.

"Of course, sorry. I completely forgot." Tori grins nervously as she scratches her head.

"Sunny too distracting for ya'?" Jade nudges Tori with her elbow as she continues smirking.

"…" Tori's silent emotionless stare into emptiness is answered with Jade,

"Oh, come on, are you really going to avoid talking about this?" She turns to face Tori, who remains silent.

After a few more seconds of silence Jade inquires,

"…want to stay in the penthouse?" Tori finally turns to look at her,

"What?" Jade smiles,

"Do you want to stay in the penthouse?" She pushes the button before Tori can answer with,

"After the Roseborn thing?" She looks down at Jade's finger on the button for the penthouse, then back up at Jade with a glare.

"We're studying; reading up on lore for the play."

"Jade." Tori intensifies her stare. Jade shrugs,

"I already sent the text and your mother says okay, so…?" Jade hands Tori back her phone that she seems to have lifted off of her. Accepting the phone Tori shakes her head,

"You did what now?" The pale soldier's response is a wide grin.

Tori bobs her head back and forth trying to think if she should, arguing why she shouldn't and finally,

"…no Trina…that's a no brainer." She smiles. Jade doesn't hesitate,

"Yeah, she is." Tori's expression quickly returns to a flat stare,

"Jade." With just a hint of irritation in her voice.

"What?" Jade asks innocently.

"That's my sister, she's not that bad. I mean sure sometimes she's insufferable…okay often times she can be difficult, but she has a few shining moments in there. So not **so** much harshing, okay?" Tori's friendly pleading eyes garner a pause from Jade,

"…I make no promises." But ultimately it is Jade after all. Tori rolls her eyes,

"Big shocker."

* * *

Standing in front of the two doors that each lead to a guest room Tori asks,

"So which one do you want?"

"We could share the big one." Jade motions toward the hall to the master bedroom and the bed more than big enough for two. Tori ignores her,

"So the left one then?"

"Sure, killjoy." Jade scowls.

As Tori looks passed the scowling Jade she takes notice of the plasma screen in the living-room,

"Do you think he would mind if we ordered a movie? We could get a pizza." This would be a great way to distract Jade from her… loss of joy, may it rest in peace.

"We have nine years to pay him back." Jade grins mischievously, which is only out classed by Tori's little devil grin. As if in a contest Jade widens her grin,

"Now that grin I like." Tori moves down the stairs to the couch and snatches the remote on the stand beside it,

"So, which movie?" Jade follows her, then grabs the phone but looks over to answer,

"Dread Falls."

"Uhm…?" Tori stares at Jade with a look born of confusion and mild distain. Jade catches the look while dialing the number to Jeffery's Pizzeria and Subs,

"What?"

"A horror movie, really? Those are what like child's play to us now." Tori is feeling a lot more confident after the growing list of kills under her belt and believes that any horror movie would be inaccurate and lame in comparison to their new lives. Jade grins,

"I don't watch horror to be scared. I watch them to laugh."

"…okay." It takes Tori a second to get it, after which she proceeds to turn on the TV and begin the search. As she tries to access the 'movies on demand' section she is redirected,

"…Woah, I just found the mother lode." She begins scrolling down a rather long list of movies. Jade places a hand over the phone's receiver and looks over to Tori,

"What are you talking about?" Noticing the external drive with the lovely orange light Tori answers grinning,

"Charles has a hard-drive with like ten thousand movies in it. I guess we won't have to pay him back." That makes her a bit happier, not taking advantage of their benefactor does sound like a good idea. Jade is more focused on other things,

"Is one of them Dread Falls?" Tori shakes her head to bring her back from her little joy world,

"…yep, I'll start it, if I can get extra cheese." Jade shrugs,

"No problem here."

* * *

Half way into the horror flick Tori can't help but laugh as the supporting blonde character runs into the serial killer's death shack,

"Did she really just run in there?"

"Yeah, that is so classic." Jade loves the feel of this modern thriller as she takes a bite of her fourth slice of cheesy goodness. Tori nods,

"I know…" Then she turns to face Jade, who is sitting a lot closer than she needed to on the very large couch, and asks,

"How would you have done it?" Not minding at all that they were so close Jade responds,

"First I would have had a gun…so I would have shot him." Then shrugs as she takes another bite. Tori grins as she looks back at the screen and the gory death scene,

"Fireball." The image of the baddie running around with half his face melted off is far more delightful than the stabbing the blonde on the screen is getting, so the dragon-mage starts laughing. Which would seem morbid to anyone watching the TV and Tori, without the insider info. Jade however smiles as she alters her choice, now that their powers were on the table,

"Transformation." Now the image of an eight foot tale dragonoid chasing around the murderer is in both of their heads. After they stop laughing Tori looks over,

"That certainly would be a fun twist. The serial killer targets a group of teens with a couple of supernatural monsters in it or witches, either way." Both fantasies were fun for Tori. Jade chuckles,

"Hello, movie deal…" Then it hits her,

"Actually I'm going to write that. Thanks Tor." She pulls out her phone to memo herself not even thinking about what she just said. But Tori wasn't as absent minded,

"Did you just call me 'Tor'?" The movie is now completely irrelevant as she stares at the playwright. Jade doesn't answer her. So Tori tries again,

"'Tori' sometimes slips out, but 'Tor'?" Jade looks up from her phone,

"It was a really good idea. You deserved a reward." The casual tone and expression give Tori pause, but,

"I'll take it." She beams a little.

They finish up the movie after cheering on the serial killer and jeering the hero for his half-assed save the day kill, stating 'That was a lame kill. Total bogus fiction. Try a more creative kill next time Johnny trips a lot!'…okay so the last one required you to watch the non-existent movie.

Once the sole surviving slice of pizza was stored in the frig they make their way to the guest rooms. Jade does take the second room, leaving Tori with the one closest to the pizza, advantage Tori.

The rooms are basically identical…and big surprise, black and white theme damn near identical to the master bedroom save for the picture of Eris, Greek Goddess of Discord holding her infamous apple, placed over each bed. Tori falls fast asleep in her shirt and underwear. Jade follows in her own bed with one difference…that elusive dream she can never quite remember,

_As the ship continues its long journey at only about a week at sea, Lady West has prepared some tea for her ill companion._

'_So this will help?' Vega stares at the cup of tea cupped in her hands. Jade smiles as she sips her un-poisoned tea, then,_

'_The captain says it will, Vega, so drink up.' She moves her free hand under Vega's and begins to push the cup up, nudging her to drink. Vega surrenders,_

'_Yes, Jade.' And prepares to take a drink, but is interrupted by Jade,_

'_You could be a bit more resistant, I'm not your master… I'm your partner.' She smiles sweetly… it's dream Jade remember. Vega lowers her cup and asks with a furrowed expression,_

'_What exactly does that mean anyway?'_

'_That you are my travelling companion and lover if necessary.' Jade speaks perfectly flatly as she prepares to bite a scone. Vega's eyes go wide then relax fearing that she misheard,_

'…_I beg your pardon ma'am, what was that?' Jade repeats herself,_

'_You're my travelling companion.' Vega shakes her head,_

'_No, the other one.' _

'_My lover?' Jade cocks her head to the side slightly. Vega points at her in confirmation,_

'_Yes, that one.' Now Jade dons a look of innocent confusion,_

'_Wasn't that in the advisory?'_

'_I'm fairly certain it wasn't.' Vega looks at her deadpan._

'_Either way you're here and if I require a little…well, you know.' Jade winks. Fire graces Vega's eyes,_

'_I did not sign on as a prostitute, ma'am!' Of course the fire red now spread across her cheeks diminishes the anger's impact and causes Jade to smile,_

'_I'm aware. I'm not paying you for that. I'm paying you to journey with me, the sex is a bonus for the both of us.' Now smiling suggestively she reaches her hand across the table to take Vega's, but Vega slaps it away gently,_

'_I don't see how me having sex with a girl is beneficial to me.' She then crosses her arms as she stares at Jade, who stands and begins circling the small table,_

'_I could show you.' She gently glides her hand along the edge of the table as she saunters over with an elegant sway to her hips. Vega maybe a bit overwhelmed by this display,_

'…_I-I-I…' That or the hungry power in Jade's eyes that simply consumes Vega in their grasp. Jade smirks,_

'_Two 'aye's will suffice, Tori.' Jade gently places a finger over Tori's lips, silencing her. She then moves the hand around the back of her head as she sits across the stunned girl's lap. With a firm grip she begins rotating Tori's head as she herself moves closer. A scorching flame travels throughout Tori's system as hot breathe ghosts her ear as Jade gets closer. Staring into Vega's eyes with mere inches between them Jade grins as she is about to…_

'_Ms. West!' Be interrupted by a loud banging on her door and the shouts of Captain Weston. A surge of fury courses throughout Jade as she stands and swiftly strides to the door. Throwing it open,_

'_Yes!' The captain steps back,_

'_I may have given you the wrong jar.'_

'_May have?' Jade castes him a glare._

'_I'm fairly certain it was the right jar, but it also could've been a different, more…lethal poison.' He smiles nervously. Jade's eyes widen as she turns back to her 'companion',_

'_Oh, dear. Veg… oh, balls.' At the sight of Vega laying on the floor the worst possible thought crosses Jade's mind…'no sex, er…Tori!' The captain turns to leave,_

'_I'll fetch the corpse throwers.' His voice seems a bit too relaxed. But just then Jade notices Vega's chest rising and falling slowly,_

'_No wait! She's merely fainted, she never touched the tea.' A sigh of relief follows from her as she moves over to sit her up._

Again Jade shall not recall this strange trip.

Tori seems to have had her own rather nice dream as she is now spooning with her pillow, yeah good dream…I wonder if Jade was there?

* * *

**AN:** _So Jori lovers, how was that? Did I deliver on my promise of a bisexual dream Jade? (Back in chp1 I said none of the main characters were gay, but bi is a whole other cup of poisoned tea.) ;{) _

_Oh and the dream is set during the early 18__th__ century/ 1700s, also known as the Golden Age of pirates (in the Caribbean), so expect them soon…but not in the Caribbean. Strange I would set this during the reigns of Morgan and Blackbeard, but not in the same sea…curious. Sorry, the story works better off the coasts of Europe and Africa, but eventually Jade and Tori will be in the West Indies and most likely fight with or against the infamous pirates_. Now for the **more** important story here…

And to those of you who don't like the dream scape, you can do what I do when I don't like certain parts of a story…skip them, that's the main reason why I italicized them in the first place. Aren't I thoughtful?

**Yeah,** seeing Jade or Tori throwing fireballs at Jason, Freddie, Ghost Face, or any other classic slasher makes me smile, how about you?

I almost forgot to mention that you can PM me if you have any questions or need clarification on anything, maybe that you don't want to put in a review. Now, I can promise that certain questions will not be answered due to the concept of 'spoilers' (never thought I'd be using that word for something I'm writing, but the offer stands).

And I have this poll on my profile I could use a little input on, and it does relate to this story.

-May Dread watch over you-


	28. My Comfy Flesh Pillow

**AN:** Okay so I wasn't a hundred percent on this chapter given the style I employ at the beginning, but I'll let you guys tell me what you think.

* * *

Before the sun can grace the sky Tori begins shifting in her cocoon of white Egyptian cotton sheets. Despite the overwhelming comfort her mind forces her awake. Lazily she turns over and faces the ceiling in complete darkness.

After another few minutes of silently staring she sits up stretching her arms. Tossing aside her covers she stands and begins stretching her legs, enjoying the light tingle the stretched muscles leave in their wake.

Without retrieving her pants or shoes she makes her way down the stairs and to the kitchen. After a brief search she discovers a box of cereal and pours herself a bowl. To be honest the entire feeling of waking up in the penthouse was a bit surreal, almost to the point where she thought she might have actually been dreaming. But the feeling began to quickly dissipate as the cold of the room started to sink in, especially the cool floor beneath her dangling feet.

Swiftly finishing her cold breakfast she heads back up the stairs for the rest of her clothes. However as she was about to enter she noticed Jade's door… then a devious smile broke across her face…'_Should I?'_

Answering her own question she steps over to Jade's door and opens it gently. Once open she rapidly slips over to the bed and with as much care as physically possible gets in. During Tori's careful maneuvering Jade remains motionless, snoring lightly. Tori had expected Jade to awaken soon after, finding herself wrapped around Tori and inciting comedic gold... What she did not expect was falling sleep…

* * *

About an hour later, as the sun finally begins to rise Jade begins to stir. As she rolls her head on her pillow it comes to rest on something hard resting on her chest. Blinking with still closed eyes she begins nudging the object with her head in an attempt to discover what it is. A soft groan is produced by the object when she increases pressure. The noise causes her eyes to open as she tries to bring up her left hand only to have a much larger and softer object holding it by her side. The second object forced her to notice the warmth being generated all along her left side, including on the left side of her chest.

Realizing that the two objects were attached and then reasoning that it was most likely a person her mind first thinks of Beck, she smiles…then frowns, for he has never done _this_ before, furthermore he wasn't here at night.

Then like a bolt of lightning it hits her, '_Vega… But why is she sleeping on me? If this is a joke it would be funnier if she wasn't on my boob…okay so __**that**__ makes it funnier.' _Jade shifts her body slightly and notices the feeling of two soft fleshy mounds pressing in her side, _'Are those her boobs?' _Jade brings up her free hand and pokes one of the mounds through Tori's shirt, then squeezes it once to confirm her guess, _'Yep…and I just fondled her…' _

Laying there for another ten minutes wondering how exactly she should precede Jade cracks a grin. Jade takes her right hand and begins slowly running her index finger down Tori's exposed arm, from shoulder to hand. The finger barely makes contact as it slides down then back up. On the second time down Tori shivers and a low moan escapes her. Jade continues but frowns, '_Maybe this was a bad idea… Should I stop before…something happens…?'_

Despite herself she continues until Tori nuzzles into Jade's chest, this stops her dead. But Tori continues to stir, until she throws her left arm across Jade's chest grasping her shoulder gently then turning so that even more of her body is in contact with Jade's. Jade's cheeks are a bright red as she shallows a lump in her throat, _'Yeah, way too far…How the hell do I get out of this? …Maybe let her wakeup first, just pretend to sleep until then. Yeah, that'll work.'_

Unfortunately, Tori was rather happy where she was, and in her state of unbelievable comfort did not wish for it to end anytime soon. Jade had to simply lie there as Tori occasionally snuggled closer; decreasing the distance between them… though there wasn't much to start with.

* * *

Finally near one o'clock Tori awoke, slowly. With a mighty yawn she opened her eyes into the dimly lit room. Though once she felt the warm body almost completely beneath her, she swiftly fixed her gaze on the sleeping soul. Taking a rapid notice of the fact that she was cuddling with Jade, instead of the other way 'round, _'This was a REALLY bad idea!...how the hell did this happen? Okay, Tori, we can fix this…She isn't awake yet, all we have to do is get up and leave before she does wakeup..." _

Tori begins moving, carefully… Until she finds her right arm very secure underneath Jade, _'Crap!'_

Taking a deep breath she puts pressure on her trapped arm, forcing it further into the mattress and away from Jade's scorching back. Then she slides it free and lies on her back with a sigh of relief. As she's about to exit the bed, Jade in a seemingly unconscious state, lays over on Tori in much the same way as Tori was just laying on her. Jade winks,

"Gotcha'." Jade remains on Tori's chest for a second before rolling over and lying beside her. Tori can't believe it,

"…How long have you been awake?" She had the exact same idea as her, '_Damn you, Jade!'_ Jade turns on her side and props herself up on her left arm,

"Long enough to know you were trying something, and then chickened out." She smirks. Tori scratches her head,

"…yeah, I thought I could make you think you were spooning me." She looks up at Jade with a grimace. Jade stares,

"In my bed?"

"Okay so there were holes in my plan." Tori really wishes she had thought this through before the miserable attempt. Jade grins,

"So may I ask which one of these holes caused you to try and retreat?" Tori closes her eyes and meekly releases her answer,

"_I fell asleep."_ Jade chuckles,

"You would. Oh, and there's nothing gay about slipping into bed with another girl and then falling asleep in her arms…and nuzzling her boob." Jade's sarcasm incites the most glorious look of fear and confusion on Tori's face as she rapidly sits up and turns to face her,

"I did what now?"

"Oh yeah, you were using my boob as a pillow…" She points at the 'pillow' in question then proceeds with another juicy little nugget,

"And rubbing yours allover me." She then points at the 'weapons'. During her moment of shock Tori is completely silent, but when she finally speaks,

"…So that was your boob then? I was wondering where you got the super comfy pillow." She recovers the best way she knows how as she smiles. Shaking her head lightly Jade speaks flatly,

"God, gave them to me."

"Yeah, and sorry about the rubbing…" As Tori's trying to apologize further something hits her and she starts giggling so hard she falls over onto her side. Jade is now the one in shock as she has no idea what caused this outburst,

"And what is so amusing?" Her voice is a bit snippy. Tori stops laughing, sits up, and smiles,

"Remember when I was rubbing your boyfriend?" Jade releases the somewhat stern expression on her face and cracks a grin,

"…And now you were rubbing me… with your boobs." But the grin is replaced with a scowl.

"I said I was sorry, plus you could have said something instead of lying there and enjoying it." Tori releases a teasing smirk. Jade is quick to respond,

"I didn't. But I did feel kind of weird about waking you up in such a…_compromising position_." Jade is smirking, but that is only a fraction of the happy she has for getting to say those last two words. Tori frowns,

"It's not my fault you're comfy and warm…" Beginning to hear how…'gay' that might sound she hurries on with,

"…Any person on Earth would have fallen asleep beside you." Jade however ignores the second part,

"Awe, does Tori have a fem crush?" All in a sickeningly sweet voice. Tori scowls,

"Like I said, 'anyone'. Okay?" Then softens it a little. Jade rolls her eyes,

"Fine, I believe you…" Then smiles kindly,

"And nice try. It could have been hilarious… but I don't think this is one we should share with the others." Her face hardens again, not exactly sure about how Beck would react to them sleeping in the same bed in such a position. However Tori grins,

"Remember yesterday when you said I would have a portable space heater?" It takes Jade a second to recall that particular tease session, since there have been so many of late. But when she does she laughs before smirking,

"We could invite Sunny up." Tori slides of the bed with her arms in the air,

"Forget I said anything!" She's headed for the door when Jade speaks with fake hurt,

"Leaving so soon." Tori dead stops, smiles, and turns around,

"Unless you want me to stay." Jade shrugs,

"Since we just missed another day of school, why not." Then lies back down with her hands behind her head. Tori's eyes widen,

"We did what? What time is it?" She begins frantically searching for a clock. Jade casually castes her eyes to the small clock on the nightstand,

"One-ten." With fiery determination Tori speaks,

"We can still make it."

"In the clothes we wore yesterday. And we'll be arriving together…again. So, unless you want the school talking about lezzy Tori I would advise against this." Jade never even lifts her head as she speaks.

"…So what, we just stay here?"

"We could go fetch some clothes from home and leave a few sets here for when we do this again."

"This?" Now Tori grins as she motions to the two of them in the same bedroom. The 'do this again' part of Jade's statement negates and overrides the fact that they could go home and change before going to school, and the fact it was unlikely that anyone would actually think her and Jade were together anyway.

"If you want. I'm comfortable enough in my sexuality to sleep in the same bed as a girl." Sure and her dreams are not a manifestation of her deep rooted subconscious desires to be in a romantic relationship with Tori…er, uhm…eh.

* * *

Four hours later when the others arrive at the building wondering where their friends were all day…missing school yet again, with each other no doubt. Beck leans on the counter as he asks,

"Hey, Mr. Cole. Have you seen Tori or Jade?" James shakes his head,

"Not since last night…" He then glances down at the notations of the night guard,

"…but apparently they never left. My guess is they stayed in the guest rooms in the penthouse." Pointing upward with his thumb James leans back in his chair.

"Why would they do that?" Beck castes his gaze to his friends then back at James. But before anyone else can say anything a man speaks from behind them,

"My guess is sex." He nods at his own answer as everyone turns to face him.

"What? Who are you?" Andre points at the man.

"Dan." Dan smiles. James sighs before delivering a much better introduction,

"Daniel Gyphson, Weston's tactical field specialist."

"I prefer spy, it makes me feel cooler." Dan strikes a _**Bond**_ pose as he runs his hand through his hair. The teens are left in somewhat of a daze by his antics, so he stops and speaks,

"So, what were we saying about the teenage lovers?"

"Jade's my girlfriend!" Beck maybe a wee bit angry; it's one thing when Jade does her teasing, it's another when it's some guy he just met. Rolling his eyes and speaking in a blasé tone Dan begins to walk toward the lift,

"Sure if you want to keep telling yourself that." Dan may have pushed Beck a tad too far, as he grabs his shoulder and turns him around,

"Hey, pun-aaahhhhh." Unfortunately Dan is significantly stronger than he appears and easily lifts Beck by the collar with one hand. Then Dan's tone becomes grave,

"Kid, I killed packs of were-bears in the Arden. So if you think a human can scare me you're dead wrong, or maybe…just dead." He bares his twin curved fangs as he hisses at the boy. James interjects sternly,

"Dan, let the boy go." Closing his mouth and slightly resetting his jaw before he obeys and sets him down,

"Fine." The serpent man then castes a steel glare at the Canadian,

"You're lucky James is here, because I don't take kindly to threats." James sighs,

"Now, Dan, I'm fairly certain Jade is dating this young man and has no feeling for Tori." Interesting how he's only 'fairly certain'.

"You and Justin are just alike then. Fine, live in your fantasy world. I'm here for the report on the Vandersine anyway." Dan begins walking away with a disregarding wave.

"File it with Jesic!" James's tone marks his displeasure with Dan's normal filing method…a heap on his own desk.

"Well, you guys know the way, and sorry about Dan. He has a tendency to follow his wild fantasies over reality." James motions to the lift doors as they close, not paying heed to the surprised expressions on their faces.

* * *

**AN:** Now for those of you wandering what Jade and Tori did for those four hours, well that will be covered in the next chapter.

I decided I wanted to break up the flow a bit and add a little of the others...because you won't be seeing them for a while.

_And my poll will stay up till I get a few more answers… Come on, you actually get to decide the fate of a character, that isn't interesting?_


	29. Here We Go Again

**AN:** Originally I wasn't going to write the events in this particular chapter, but then I got a flash of brilliance after reading a few reviews, especially **DarkJossy66**'s call for a wee more fighting…and I admit it isn't very much fighting but it's still there. And there's plenty of Jade and Tori fun too.

You can ignore this next thing, unless you like strangeness:

_**Contest:**__ Since this is the two month anniversary of this story's publishing, yeah (I know it isn't a big deal to most of you, but this is my first posted story…so yeah) I offer you the opportunity to compete in a silly little quest with the prize being… to have your penname at the beginning of the next chapter. It's just for fun, plus I don't see to many competitors participating, so the prize isn't a new car or anything (I'm not Oprah)._

_**Actual Contest:**__ Now, __**Tori**__ is going to say something in this chapter that comes right from the mouth of a recently departed character on a certain show about two brothers that might know a little something about monster hunting. All you have to do is tell me the line, character, and show…Good luck, and watch out for Dick, he really is one. _

_**Repost** addition to contest: I would like to apoligize for not being clear about what line I was looking for. I should have been more specific in saying I was looking for an exclaimation he uses whenever bad things happen.  
The expression also fits the situation that Tori is in it just isn't something she would say. It's only two words._

* * *

Four hours earlier:

After leaving Jade's room Tori heads back to her own room to fetch her pants and shoes, but mostly the pants. Once dressed they remerge and head for the kitchen, seeing as Jade has a distinct lack of two things; coffee and food. Much to Jade's delight the coffee Weston has stocked in the small pantry is Lucifer's Brew.

Retrieving a small can of the desired brew she moves along the counter top until she finds the little coffee symbol, a coffee cup with steam lines coming out of it. Once the little button is pressed the coffee maker slides out of the wall. As Jade prepares the coffee pot Tori inquires,

"So what exactly are we going to do?" Finishing adding the water Jade looks back at her,

"We could hit the archive without the others here to annoy us." She motions to the aforementioned room with her head. Jade's suggestion does inspire Tori to take what she feels is a necessary action,

"And in doing so remove the books about Dragoons, so Andre doesn't research them." Half-way through adding the proper amount of the ground bean she looks back at the smiling mage,

"Why?"

"Well, one of them has this illustration in it that looks very familiar to a certain statue at school." Jade sees the value in not letting the others know about Weston's species,

"Right, so where would you like to hide them?" She breaks herself away from Tori to resume the task at hand only to have forgotten how many she added, _'Damn it, Tori! The one thing in this world that brings me comfort and you can even distract me from it… I'll just assume four...five, six, seven, eight…done…wait what did she just say? Crap.'_ Sensing that Jade wasn't listening anymore Tori repeats herself, quite loudly,

"I said my room!" Pushing the button to start the peculation she takes a seat on the stool opposite Tori,

"And why not Weston's?"

"That's actually a better idea." This brings a very peaceful grin to Jade's face, _'Like I ever have any other kind.'_ Seeing that Jade is yet again zoning out Tori tries to get her attention by throwing pieces of the pine scented potpourri across the island counter…one hits her in the dead center of the head, calling her back to the room,

"…right, okay then, to the books?" She responds lazily as if she had actually been asleep. Tori shakes her head lightly before proceeding with another concern,

"So what about the archive?" Again Jade answers lazily,

"I'll stay on it every time so he can't use it." Tori can't imagine how she could be so tired, _'Given how long we were in bed together…okay, that's not a thought I should share with anyone…or have again.' _Trying to move past her ill-fated scheme she inquires further about this little opt,

"Do you have any idea how many have the picture?"

"And may I ask how I would possess such knowledge?" Despite her drowsy state Jade still answers her with a rather smartass tone.

"I thought you could check the archive, but if not then we can just pray that Andre doesn't discover that the statue is a dragon-kin then realize that it's Weston, then find out that the only way we can talk to him is if we're also dragoons, thus ultimately exposing you as a half-blood." Tori now tries the ever useful fear tactic. Still somewhat full of herself Jade smirks,

"And what do you think the chances of that are?"

"Longshot impossibility." Tori's dead stare forces Jade to remember the term and,

"…right, I'll check the archive." She seems to pep up now that fear creeps in slightly…that or the smell of the brewing coffee is bringing her back to herself.

* * *

After retrieving the desired books they make their way out of the study. Tori is capable of carrying the few books herself,

"So just these five then?" Jade nods as she starts toward the full pot of hot coffee awaiting her,

"That's all I could find in the references section. There shouldn't be any more images of dragon-kin in any of the remaining books."

"Let's hope, because with our luck…" Standing at the counter Jade turns around to look her in the eye, from across the room,

"I'm aware of our very unique luck, Vega."

"So where do you think we should hide them?" Tori continues toward the master bedroom. Jade begins raising her voice so that it can carry down the hall,

"I'd say closet, but with the elevator in there…"

"Yeah…maybe the bottom of one of the dresser drawers?" Tori turns toward the largest one against the right-side wall. She doesn't hear a response from Jade so she opens the central drawer,

"…uhm, what is that?" And notices something hidden by a few shirts,

"Please God, don't be half-blood porn…" She reaches down with her free hand while still holding the books in the other and moves the shirts revealing the object,

"…looks like a switch." She sighs with great relief and moves to flip the switch. Moving down the hall Jade hears Tori finish and hastens to stop her,

"Tori!" But stops just inside the door when she hears the 'click',

"…crap." The floor at the foot of the bed splits down the middle until the hole is about the size of the bed. Tori castes Jade a smile,

"It just opened a door…in the floor." Then looks at the hole with a stair case leading down toward the bed. Jade takes point, sipping her coffee,

"It's a…another library?" And enters the circular room lined with bookcases and a few tables near the center.

"Well, the books look older…much older." After setting her books on one of the tables, Tori is inexplicitly drawn to the center of the room and an ancient looking tome bound in a strange material. She picks it up and begins running her hands over it before she presents it to Jade,

"This one feels funny." Jade only requires a passing inspection to identify the material,

"I think that's skin." But her second examination reveals the full extent of the binding,

"Human, I believe." Tori was technically still holding the book and consequently drops the book,

"…so gross…" She shakes her hands in a vain attempt to remove the feeling of the leather treated skin on her hands. Setting her coffee down on the table Jade picks-up the book off the floor,

"I kind of like it… besides it not like the guy's still alive. I'm sure he is long dead." The smirk she gives is partially calming for Tori, but,

"But it's still human skin…that's absolutely sick, completely wrong…" Jade cuts her off as she moves toward the stand that it rested on,

"Calm yourself, I'll put it back."

"That doesn't change the fact that it's…" This experience seems to be the one area that freaks her out absolutely. Jade is slightly annoyed not fully understanding why this is so sick,

"Skin, I know. But look at it this way… If Weston has this that means the bad guys don't." But her tone very swiftly takes a reassuring feel.

"I see your point and don't disagree that it's better off here…it's just that it's human skin." She seemed to be getting a little better but reenters the freak zone…or at least she would have if Jade hadn't strode over and hugged her tightly,

"…Tori." And spoke her name softly. Disengaging the hug Tori smiles at her,

"…Thanks, Jade." Jade grins as well,

"Yeah, well don't get used to it, I'm still upset about you molesting me earlier." Jade castes her a playful glare. Tori counters with a shrug,

"You didn't stop me, despite being more than capable of doing so."

"You were peaceful…" Jade catches herself going down a sincerely strange road and changes the conversation,

"Can we move on with the stowing these books and exiting the awesome creepy chamber, despite my desire to stay?" She grabs her cup as Tori takes the lead, gladly leaving the room and the creepy book.

After re-concealing the hidden library and leaving the master bedroom they head down the hall as Tori begins reasoning aloud,

"So, if the secret library is under his bedroom, then the armory must be under the library." Knowing full well that Tori is talking to herself Jade still adds,

"Or the kitchen, living room, war-room, or his office." Tori dead stops and is deep in thought simply standing in front of the bathroom door, then she suddenly shakes her head and resumes walking and talking,

"The war-room is too obvious, and the kitchen and living-room are too open. So either the study or office."

With the study door right in front of them Jade turns and looks down the hall toward the lifts, then nudges Tori,

"Let's try the office. I'd kind of like to see if it's black or white." She heads off without confirming that Tori is even following her, which she is after only a brief pause.

* * *

Much too Jade's surprise the office has scarcely any black or white, instead it has,

"Brown and green…that's different." Jade cocks her head as her eyes wander the room adorned with dark brown furniture; large wooden desk with large leather chair, two smaller leather chairs in front of the desk, a few tables with pictures and trinkets on them, and finally a mini-fridge hiding just in the corner, all a deep oak brown. The green came from the numerous exotic plants sitting along the wall opposite the window wall, sitting in the other three corners of the room, and hanging from the ceiling in brown pots attached with green chains. There was also a mature mini-willow tree, standing at only about nine feet tall, sitting at the dead center of the room.

When Tori finally steps through doorway into the room, the thing that most catches her attention is the mini-brook that is flowing about the glass floor, snaking about the various plants that were in fact planted in the floor with a reasonable amount of dirt inside the glass. Jade had mistaken the brown for wood, which makes her feel a bit foolish…but not letting that be shown she moves over to the desk,

"And yet another lovely chair for me to own." She swiftly sits in the chair mounted to the floor, '_Weston has a mild obsession with super comfy chairs…not that that takes away from his decoration style, which is without question weird as hell.' _Having finished her coffee she leans back with her hands behind her head.

Tori has come to expect strange from the veteran hunter, but has to admit, _'This is a little much, I mean a freaking brook…then again it does seem kind of neat and definitely not boring.' _But not wanting to dwell on the 'green' room looks across the desk,

"Any secret switches or lever under the desk?" There is almost no chance the armory is in the floor, but that still leaves a wall. Leaning forward to comply Jade doesn't even consider the 'dirt' floor as she begins running her hands underneath the desk, even opening the drawers…and,

"…none that I can feel."

"Well maybe you should look, maybe it's visual." Tori suggests, only half sure there'll be anything now.

"Worth a shot…" Jade slides out of the chair and lays on her back as she begins a very thorough inspection of the underside of the desk,

"Oh, well look at that…" She notices a small panel. Once she opens it, it reveals a little blue button, and without thinking she presses it. Her reward is to have the chair move back along a rail as the floor beneath where it was gives way. And since her body was mostly over the hole,

"…ahhhhhhh…" She falls down the chute. Tori drops her head, _'This is what it must have been like for Jade at the manor.' _Knowing full well what comes next she exclaims,

"Oh, balls… Look out below!" And leaps in after her friend. The chute arcs left and then right multiple times in order to slow down the traveller, since it is an eleven story drop to the basement. After the rather fun ride Jade drops onto a large pad on the floor. Then her fun ends when her friend lands on top of her, forcing her to say,

"Owh, that hurt." Tori hops up,

"Yeah, payback is a bitch." Then looks down smirking…which was pointless considering the absolute darkness of the room. Rising carefully Jade asks,

"Where are we?" Tori involuntarily smirks again,

"And may I inquire how would I possess such knowledge?" She hates that Jade can't see her awesome smirking. But Jade does feel them,

"Really helpful there, Vega." Tori sighs before whispering,

"_Huyet duier torchesa igneitas foluiyo." _As commanded by the mage the little golden fireball appears hovering several feet in front of her, illuminating the room rather nicely. Tori asks cheerfully,

"Better?"

"Yeah, so another spell then?" Jade looks at her as if she had been keeping a big secret from her. Tori shrugs,

"I wasn't too sure you'd be all that in love with a torch, so I didn't mention it." Jade considers this, _'Should I be concerned that she knows me so well? …nah.'_ before answering,

"…Yeah, it isn't exactly fierce is it?" With Jade's snippiness gone Tori smiles as she looks at the little orb,

"Helpful though…" Jade notices a switch on the wall,

"And unnecessary with this light switch." Then flips the aforementioned switch, illuminating the room many times as much as the fire-orb, and looks at Tori,

"…so you can get rid of that thing." She motions to the torch with a dismissing wave.

"I…can't." Tori drops her head eyeing the floor. Jade stares at her,

"What do you mean you can't?" Tori lifts her head to meet Jade's gaze,

"The last time Irot scarred me, which broke my concentration…but, well now…" She now motions to the orb still floating there innocently. Jade chews on her lip for only a second before she steps in front of Tori and promptly slaps her. Tori hastily reaches up to cup the impact spot,

"What did you do that for?" Her voice bares more hurt than anger. Jade smirks,

"Is the orb still floating?" Tori looks over to the former location of the fireball to find it gone,

"No… but really, a slap?" Then sharply turns to glare at Jade, who shrugs,

"I could have kissed you, but you would have enjoyed that too much." Then grins devilishly. Tori rolls her eyes,

"Let's just get out of here and go see Irot and Edaj. I'm sure they missed us." She starts feeling fairly crappy for not allowing either of them the chance to drink a little mana…but she is very rapidly brought back when Jade opens the only door in the room,

"…Oh God! What is that smell?" The odor that infiltrates the room steals away Tori's breath for she begins gasping for air. Jade on the other hand smiles,

"Sewer… nice. It must be a secret escape route." She turns and looks at Tori, who is now supporting herself on the wall,

"It smells horri…" She then vomits up her Frosty Flakes. Jade chuckles,

"It's not that bad." After spitting Tori looks up with some of her hair over her face,

"It's disgusting…completely sickeni..." She again vomits. Jade shakes her head lightly,

"It's a sewer, not a mountain spring. Come on, this looks like the only way out." Jade heads out without another word… until she sees what happens to be adorning the rack just outside the door,

"Look, flashlight helmets." Tori staggers out of the doorway, looking a bit pale.

* * *

After twenty minutes of walking 'north' as Jade called it, Tori feeling much better after somewhat acclimating to the odor stops walking. As she stops she places her hand in front of Jade to stop her as well,

"Do you hear that? It sounds like heavy breathing." Jade holds her breathe to listen more intensely,

"Now that you mention it… yeah, I do." Jade starts looking around, and the light on her head begins darting back and forth as she does. Contrarily Tori simply turns around…and swallows nervously,

"J-J-J-Jade! Trolls!" Her shout causes Jade to whip her head around. Now with both of their lights shining on the tall mossy green bodies of several brutishly ugly giants only a few yards away Jade shouts,

"Shit! Shit! Shit! Run!" As instructed they both take off running down the sewer away from the monsters. Almost immediately they can hear the sounds of many large heavy footfalls following.

As the footsteps are getting louder Tori castes back a hand and begins,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier…" Jade's eyes widen as she attempts to stop her,

"No, Wait!" But her warning isn't registered as Tori continues the spell,

"…torchesa igneitas koliyu!" As the blue orb leaves her hand the air around it ignites in a massive explosion that rapidly fills the tunnel. The trolls are thrown violently back down the tunnel as the shockwave rolls outward from the ignition point. Because Tori and Jade were even closer and far lighter they are flung even further up the tunnel than the heavier trolls were down.

Currently floating face-up in sewage Tori looks over to Jade,

"You okay?"

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Jade castes her arms in the air as she sits up effortlessly.

"You sure? It sounds like you might have some brain damage." Sitting up Tori can't even register being soaked in sewage.

"Tori, I just survived a freaking near point-blank explosion in a sewer. I'm doing great." Her joy seems to be growing as she rises to her feet. Jade helps Tori up, who starts to think about how powerful that explosion must have been,

"How did we survive that?" Jade hands her her helmet quickly,

"No time, our friends are getting up too." She points to the trolls that are starting to get up as well. They bolt further down the passage they had been taking.

After five minutes of running at near full speed Tori points ahead toward a rather large door,

"An exit." Jade puts her hand on Tori's back and pushes her forward faster,

"Hurry!" Tori swiftly opens it upon arrival, allowing Jade to run right past into the room. Turning around Jade shouts,

"Lock it!" Tori turns around to face her,

"Uhm, the lock's broken." Jade sighs,

"Then let's keep moving." They continue down the damp hall.

Coming upon another large door Tori notices the padlock,

"It's locked." Jade frowns,

"Oh, the irony… Blast it!" Jade surveys down the hall as Tori complies,

"…Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu." The cheap lock falls to the floor as semi-molten slag. Swiftly moving into the room Tori can make out five separate tunnels leading off in different directions,

"Which way do we go?" Not noticing the several doors around the large room that lead to a Legion safehouse above them Jade picks one,

"…this way." While they are heading 'east', Tori realizes something,

"Shouldn't we be fighting them, as hunter guardians?" Jade actually sees that as a fair question,

"…do you know how to kill a troll?" But their lack of knowledge gives her pause.

"Fire." Tori holds up one hand.

"If they survived that explosion I doubt a little fireball will do it." Jade starts to recall the explosion as they pass through a doorway, but she is brought back by Tori stopping,

"Well, we're about to find out." She motions to the lit room with several trolls loitering in it. Jade drops her head,

"Frag me."

Tori raises a hand and incants,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu." The orb flies forth and strikes one of the mossy green giants in the chest; flames wash across his torso and face searing away a few layers of flesh, but ultimately doing little more than a second degree burn and pissing off the troll.

"That's not good." She grimaces as it roars. Jade watches them begin to take a more aggressive stance,

"This would be an excellent time to transform." Tori agrees whole-heartily,

"Yeah… Irregardless I'm not going down without a fight…Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!"

"I'm with ya'…Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" These fireballs seem to pack significantly more of a punch as the targets are relieved of not only skin but also muscle. Their screams of agony cause the others to step back and begin rethinking this engagement.

However the respite is brief before one of them decides to charge anyway. The lumbering giant drops his shoulder and rams forward. Tori releases one fireball before he impacts her with his shoulder, sending her flying across the room. With fury in her eyes Jade charges at him and punches his exposed back, about where a kidney should be. She doesn't expect the creature to stagger sideways before collapsing to one leg, but he does. Recovering quickly he charges at her.

Instead of dodging or rolling aside she grabs his blistered arm, which took Tori's earlier fireball, as it impacts her. Despite her pain she holds on until he stops and prepares to grab her with his free arm. She releases him and before he can react begins pummeling his chest with a rapid series of wild, unrestrained punches; each one seems to have almost no effect as she delivers them. But once she jumps back and prepares to avoid any future hits, he staggers backward and begins coughing up blood.

Jade doesn't get to enjoy the little victory as another troll blindsides her and sends her rolling across the room. Unfortunately for the troll his victory is cut short as well when he receives a punch from Tori to his back that sends him reeling forward. His sloppy footing caused him to trip over his own feet and fall face first onto the floor.

Yet another tries to catch Tori off-guard…only to have her side-step and trip him, sending him tumbling forward into his downed comrade. Jade has now recovered and quickly takes up her place beside Tori,

"Nice one." Fighting the urge to fist-bump.

"Thanks… and thanks for earlier." Tori gets the feeling that the saving each other thing is going to be a big part of their future, but she doesn't seem to mind. And neither does Jade,

"No problem, partner." She winks at the dragon-mage before refocusing on the enemy still surrounding them.

"Aim for the legs...Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" Tori's ball of fire finds the left leg of one of the uninjured circling them…well he was unharmed until the orb stripes away several layers of muscle and causes him to fall against the wall, unable to support his weight on the damaged limb.

Not waiting to see the result of Tori's attack Jade launches her own and hits the ankle of another, the intensity of the flames and the small mass of muscle results in the troll's foot simply not coming up with his leg when he lifts it. Jade grins to herself for having successfully preformed an amputation. The creature howls in pain as he falls against the wall opposite of his leaning kin.

The remaining three charge at them recklessly in a vain attempt to finish them off. The tactless assault is met with rapid-fire firebombs hitting key joints, forcing them to halt their attack or risk fatal injury. One even falls from a lack of feet, he crawls back to the tunnel doorway where two others pick him up and head off down the tunnel, that Jade and Tori had originally ran down. The limping three and one-foot also withdrawal from the room, using each other for support.

Only one remains to face them, but he is noticeably larger and wearing some kind of armor…

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so how was that, don't you just _**love**_ cliffhangers? (grinning innocently)

**Contest:** If you got the answer to my contest then put it in a review or send it to me in a PM…but the contest will only last until I release the next chapter…Monday (barring any unfortunate events that would prevent this.)

_**Strangeness:**__ And as for the human skin book, yeah I recently watched Army of Darkness, staring Bruce Campbell as Ash (which is a continuation of the Evil Dead series) and if you've seen it then you know all about the Necronomecron Ex Mortis… If not then I would kindly recommend you watch it, but don't expect a Hollywood Blockbuster._

**Fun:** Oh, and as for the little coffee fixing/drinking thingy, it wasn't necessary but it could be a lovely little glimpse into what it would be like if they lived together, as a couple**?**_;{)_

**Clarity:** Tori is the Dragon-mage and Jade is the Dragon-knight, just making sure no one is confused by those references from here on out.

-MDwoy-


	30. She Isn't Human, Runn!

**AN**: This story does **not** endorse gratuitous violence…only the standard, not having this story removed from this site kind of **ordinary,** violence as approved by the **guidelines**. _(the administrators are reading, meet me in the secret sub-basement of the ******* Club, you know the one.)_

But I think the violence in this chapter does alright without getting into _too_ much detail, so enjoy…

And as for that silly little contest, we have the full answer (Supernatural, Bobby Singer, 'oh, balls') from:

AnonymousWerewolf

soth13

Those who got two outa three (which as the song says 'two outa' three ain't bad'):

Hell7Born7Terra7

…Armored troll in3…2…1…

* * *

Standing at least a foot taller than his brethren and wearing pieces of large plate armor the giant troll roars at the two girls. Seeing that they stand their ground he begins snarling beneath his heavy metal helmet. Then he moves his left hand to his waist and retrieves his ogre sized steel morning star. Hafting the heavy tool of destruction he begins slowly circling the duet seeking a weakness that will spare him the same defeat as so many of his clan, knowing that his armor will only offer him so much protection against the fireballs he settles for this more cautious approach. He also recognizes the strength being displayed as that of a stronger half-blood, possibly Leocyts (half lion, half humanoid).

"So, do you think this is the end?" Tori scans the beast's heavy armor as she speaks eerily calmly.

"Well, we've had an interesting run." Jade grins. Tori's conclusion is that a few fireballs aren't going to cut it against this one and she sighs before concurring with Jade,

"Short, but yeah, interesting…" Taking is deep breath Tori prepares herself for what in all likelihood will be her death and the strangest thing is she doesn't exactly fear it with Jade standing beside her. And the more she turns over this situation in her mind the more she thinks that she should be terrified like back when they first saw the trolls or when they started fighting them, but she just can't seem to find that fear right now. It might be the fact that this has just been pushed too far and she finally feels like Jade did in the sub-basement of the manor, completely cracked and fully aboard the 'crazy-train'…and she just 'rolls' with it,

"Well, I suppose we should charge valiantly to our deaths then." Jade on the other hand is calm because she feels like they can't lose and thinks Tori is just making a joke, so she plays along,

"At least it'll be a blaze of glory." Jade grabs Tori's left hand with her right as they both raise their opposite hands and recite,

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" The combined shouts echo off the walls of the room as a single massive orb of blue fire appears between their extended hands and rockets forth toward the troll. He slings up his mace hoping to break the enormous blast before it can scorch him alive inside his armor…he succeeded and did cause most of the energy to disperse as it liquefied his mace into a mass of molten steel. Unfortunately for him the fireball breaking sent forth a wave of energy that hurled him into the wall with the pool of molten metal thrown against his chest. The liquid began cooling, sticking to the armor as it heated it causing multiple burns across his skin just under the chest plate. A few droplets of the molten steel graced his face, burning through skin, muscle, and even a bit of bone. He howled in agony until the metal cooled inside his face. Then he simply snarled as he prepared to get revenge at any cost.

Tori and Jade simply stand there, frozen as they watch the fireball, or Nova Blast as they would call it; from it leaving their hands to it destroying the mace and finally slamming the giant into the wall. No words escaped their mouths or thoughts graced their minds, just silence.

But when the troll begins snarling they drop their arms and Jade releases her grip on Tori as they separate. The shock of what had just transpired forced a more primal 'flee' response in both of them, not allowing them the ability to decide to simply fire a second Nova Blast… Of course it wasn't just a blind decision to separate in order to better guard against an attack, it was also a subconscious command that they in truth didn't have the energy to fire another without it costing them their lives. Not that either of them would understand this until later but for now they simply allowed their instincts to command them…

Jade was chosen as the first target to receive the wrath of the troll as he charges at her with clenched fists. As he neared her he began wildly swinging his powerful muscle wrapped arms in her direction. Rage was the engine for his assault and it clouded his ability to aim, much to the benefit of Jade who dodged the barrage of massive fists. Unfortunately, Jade finds out that probability is a bitch as one of the wild swings clips her, sending her tumbling across the floor bouncing on the stone floor as she does. Landing beside Tori she's breathing heavily, gasping for air. This troll's greater strength is only amplified by his rage, causing considerably more damage than the weaker trolls.

When Tori looks into Jade's eyes she can see the pain residing in them and this causes something deep inside to…crack. Tori can feel her blood boiling inside her veins, muscles tightening beneath her skin, and her vision blur as a white hot rage takes hold of her. The teenage half-blood completely surrenders to the savage impulses surging throughout her very being…and the first is to rip off the arm that caused Jade's pain.

The troll barely has time to register the blur that leapt at him before he feels an intense heat on his left shoulder. He howls in pain as a searing flame engulfs the area, which only begins to cool when he no longer feels anything except a rush of air on exposed flesh and bone. He reaches up to his shoulder with his right hand only to find a lack of a left arm. Opening his eyes he looks down to see it on the ground before him with molten metal from the shoulder plate cooling over the exposed flesh on it. And standing beside it with hands set ablaze with a deep purple flame is Tori, who smiles with a vicious grin more akin to the wildest animal than anything remotely human.

Baring her teeth she charges at him. He has no chance of avoiding the punch she delivers to his armored stomach. The purple flame rapidly begins to burn through the enchanted steel, but she pulls back the fist as she delivers another hit a little higher, just below his heart. This hit also begins to consume the armor as the impact force forces him to step back, which spares him the flame scorching away his flesh. Instinctively he swings his arm at her…and it connects sending her across the floor, but unlike Jade she rises with a grin and charges at him.

Panic and fear are now consuming the troll as he tries to run, regretting even thinking about trying to kill them. These thoughts only serve to distract him from the fact that his right leg is burning. Screaming in agony he falls forward without half his leg. He proceeds to try and escape by crawling away, but is met with a little extra weight on his back,

"You could have simply let us go. You could have kept your limbs. And you could have kept your life." Her voice is noticeably deeper and filled with a lethal calm as she raises her blazing left fist and sends it into the back of his helmet. She maintains the pressure until he stops struggling and embraces death. Lifting her hand she shakes off a few molten metal droplets.

She takes a deep breath and the flames dissipate as the primal Id surrenders control back to the Ego. As it does Tori can see straight again, immediately leaping off the corpse and rushing over to Jade, who is eerily unconscious…more resembling near-death as opposed to sleep.

"Jade! Jade! Please wake up!" Tori begins violently shaking the wounded girl as she shouts at her. She continues the action until a slap slams across her face,

"I'm up. God, Vega! Can't a girl get a little sleep?" Jade's voice isn't strained or weak, just groggy. Tori looks down at her with a mix of confusion and joy.

"So, what did I-what the hell did you do to him?" Jade's eyes fall on the disfigured form of the troll as she sits up and leans against the wall for support. Tears have already formed and are pouring down the sides of Tori's cheeks as she speaks tentatively,

"I-I-I thought he…hurt you." Jade tries to combat Tori's tears with their teasing as she asks impishly,

"So you remove his limps?" The tears do slow as Tori struggles with a smile,

"…You took feet." Jade starts off meekly rubbing her head with her silver scarred hand,

"Yeah, I suppose I did, but not the entire arm…and half a leg. Good Lord, you need to learn self-control." Jade looks away with playful distain. Tori's response is a light laugh…with a few tears still falling. Jade rolls her eyes,

"And as for all this crying…I know you're in love with me, but still." She is delighted that her plan is working and Tori is starting to come back around,

"You know me, I'd kill a troll to get a date." She grins meekly.

"Sunny will be so jealous." Jade speaks playfully. Tori's light grin widens as more and more of her realizes that Jade is actually fine. Now that the tears have stopped Jade takes a more serious tone,

"Are you okay? Because I'm fine. No broken bones, deep cuts, or massive blood loss. But I might have a bruise or two." She begins displaying each limp and patting her body without any whimpers of pain to reinforce that she is indeed okay and there is absolutely no reason for Tori to be worried about her. Tori speaks softly,

"…You kind of scared me…like back with the werewolf. I guess I really hadn't thought about the dangers of this profession, until I thought you were actually hurt." She does feel that she had been foolish in thinking that defeating monsters would be trouble-free. Jade wags a finger at her,

"And that's what you get for thinking yourself indomitable, Ms. Vega. I on the other hand just got tossed like a rag doll and am feeling pretty good." Jade stretches her arms over her head and smiles to emphasize her health as fine. Knowing that Jade isn't going to even consider stopping until she feels better Tori sighs before,

"I killed a troll with my bare hands, so I think I'm plenty indomitable thank you very much." She crosses her arms and adds a little bravado to help sell it as she finally leans back against the wall, sitting beside Jade.

"Wait till I tell people that Tori the sunshine knight saved me from a big bad troll. Girls will race to be in your inhuman arms." Jade bats her eyelashes as she tries to appear girly feminine.

"You do realize that if I'm the knight you're the princess, right?" Tori earnestly smirks as she looks over at her. Having succeeded Jade passes a thin smile before speaking more seriously,

"…Never mind, let's just get out of here, I think I've had enough excitement for today." Tori nods as she rises,

"Agreed on both counts." She then turns to help Jade up…but applies a bit too much muscle and pulls her up so quickly that their faces are only a few inches apart as their bodies are flush with each other. Tori actually smirks again as something tells her that teasing Jade is the best possible therapy,

"This is usually where the knight gets his kiss." Caught just a little off guard Jade pauses before returning the smirk,

"…Then I suppose I should be grateful you're not a 'he'." She takes a step back as she winks at Tori, who shakes her head lightly,

"I'm glad nearly being killed doesn't stop you from being you."

"Would you really have it any other way?" Jade winks again before heading for the door opposite the tunnel, which the trolls used to retreat, without waiting for Tori to answer. Tori pauses,

"_Nope." _But it's barely above a whisper. She then jogs to catch up to Jade as they head off into the sewer once again.

Despite Tori's state of being she didn't actually witness the troll's death, only the emotions that were overwhelmingly present. All she really knew was that she never wanted Jade to be anywhere near that level of hurt again and that she had killed a troll, everything else was a blind blur. If only she could have held onto some of it then she would have been infinitely more prepared for the physical part of her first transformation into a true Dragoon.

* * *

**AN:** That may have been a bit intense… okay, **freaking** intense…

For those of you who like the lax feel of most of the previous chapters…that will return in the next chapter and probably last a while until the next _'incident'_.

As for the last paragraph of the story, the first transformation is a brutally savage adjustment to an entirely new body and mindset, so it will be…brutal, but subsequent ones are generally more like Weston's transformation all those chapters ago, peaceful and controlled. And Tori only transformed mentally not physically, so when the rest comes that should be…fun? (author nervous about vicious super lizard Tori)

The purple flaming hands thing is…complicated, I'll explain it in future chapters, both in the story and with ANs. Just know that it's a form of magic, not dragoon's fire… it actually showcases Tori's affinity with magic as it manifests with the most intense of magical flames, purple. (From weakest to strongest: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple…yeah, I followed the primary colors wheel)

**And** as for any other questions don't hesitate to PM me I will gladly answer anything that doesn't spoil the story and I'll also happily explain anything that might seem confusing or is confusing.

–May Dread watch over you- (because things aren't looking like sunshine and roses all that much right now: 'No, Iran, you cannot have a quantum energy bomb…take the pile of '_deactivated'_ nukes instead, as long as you promise not to use them on _anyone_.')


	31. Tori's Bride

**AN:** I have to say that Tori is a mage and Jade is a knight, but they are also both dragoons so Tori will sometimes be more knight-like and Jade less so. They are far from typical and cannot be expected to be so. Just thought I'd clear that up before you read this chapter…

**Now** back to the more lax stuff, because the intensity of the last chapter took my breath…or was that the sewage… eh, either way enjoy.

* * *

Only a few yards into the sewer Tori notices that Jade isn't walking at her normal pace,

"So are you really okay?" Stopping dead and dropping her head, Jade tries not to bite at her for her needless abundance of concern when she finally brings her head back up,

"Yes, Vega. I feel fine, maybe a little tired…" She brings her silver scarred hand up to her forehead as she closes her eyes and enjoys the moment of peace…before Tori intercedes with a semi-playful tone,

"Should I carry you then?" Very much wanting the return of her moment of peace Jade speaks without thinking,

"Honesty, I wouldn't complain." When she realizes her mistake she is saved by Tori's nervousness,

"Uh…uhm…" The way Jade answered had caused Tori to be temporarily caught between possibilities, _'Either Jade is kidding…or she is actually that tired…'_ However before she can decide which thought to act on Jade intercedes with a little bite,

"Sure you can talk the talk but you can't wahhhhh…" Only to have Tori sweep her off her feet, literally, and holds her with her right arm behind Jade's knees and her left arm above the small of Jade's back…bridal style. Jade seems to regain some energy as she confronts this surprising action,

"What are you doing?" Tori smiles sweetly as she starts walking,

"Carrying you." Tori effortlessly strides down the passage, Jade doesn't so much as bounce as sway as Tori subconsciously coordinates her steps with her arms' inhuman strength to create an unintentional rocking motion. Jade actually starts to enjoy it as she continues her inquiry,

"Why?"

"Because I offered and you accepted, it wouldn't be very noble of the sunshine knight if I didn't oblige the princess." She smiles while keeping her eyes forward.

"…It's about time you started treating me like royalty." Jade really can't help herself, and neither can Tori,

"Yeah, you're a real **royal** pain in the ass." This time Tori does look down at Jade as she smirks. Jade counters with her own,

"I try." Before she yawns lightly.

"I have to admit I'm rather enjoying the dragon-kin super strength." Tori finally takes note of the fact that she isn't feeling any real resistance from carrying Jade, it's almost like she isn't carrying anything at all. Jade narrows her eyes, not necessarily in a teasing manner,

"Are you trying to say I'm heavy?" Tori recounts what she said, _'That came out wrong, crap…but wait…'_,

"Without having carried you beforehand I have no comparison…but given how light you feel…no." Tori gladly employs nerd logic to hopefully spare having just called Jade 'heavy'. Looking away from Tori, Jade speaks disturbingly politely,

"Robbie, please put me down."

"You say 'please' to Robbie?" Tori half grins. Jade does go speechless for a second while trying to devise a clever retort only to have her yawn again, then,

"…well then I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when we're above ground." Almost as soon as she finishes her mind starts to shut down as she closes her eyes.

"I…" Tori's protest is silenced when she feels Jade's head fall against her shoulder as she starts snoring lightly, _'I guess she really is tired… And peaceful…oh, well.'_

As Jade slumbers her illusive dream finds its way to her,

* * *

'_Captain! Captain! We're being board-ahhhh…' The poor sailor falls to the floor as the pirate behind him removes the sword from his back. As the pirate prepares to open the door it flies open with such force that it throws him into the wall opposite the door. Yawning vigorously Captain Weston steps out of the room,_

'…_That's why I like doors that open out.' While he yawns again the pirate tries to get up, but the captain draws a pistol and puts him down with a single shot to the head. He tosses his pistol aside and grabs the cutlass from the pirate as well as the pistol from his fallen sailor. _

_As he walks down the short hall another pirate appears which he promptly shoots in the neck. Tossing aside the expended pistol he grabs the pirate's and proceeds onto the deck. _

_Once upon the deck he fires at the first pirate he sees, the poor bastard spins around and falls as the round hits him in the side of the head. As a pirate leaps from the railing to his left he dances sideways and sends his blade across his chest, grabbing his pistol in the process. Continuing the action he shoots another pirate before drawing another of his own. _

_Stepping over several bodies he moves toward his first mate wielding twin cutlasses,_

'_Mr. Harris, might I inquire as to the state of my ship?' The Captain fires another shot before slashing a pirate across the side, neither target survives._

'_Good, sir. Just a few bilge rats that snuck aboard. They'll be dead soon enough.' Spoken as he parries two attackers down and then brings his own swords across their chests in an 'X' cut. _

'_Excellent, Mr. Harris. For a minute there I thought someone was actually foolish enough to try and pillage a Blood ship.' Captain Weston now begins flinging his stash of knives at any target in sight. _

'_No pirate, even the most sea addled, would dare such a feat, Captain.' Harris leaps onto the railing and then onto a pirate's shoulders, slashing at him from above he leaps to another and another until he finds the pirate supply dwindling. _

_Captain Weston looks over to see the enemy vessel breaking away, leaving several of the pirates attempting the leap to the ship as it pulls away. Many fail and plummet to the sea below, a few do make it, and several don't even make the attempt, instead surrendering their swords and pistols to the deck._

'_I feel something is amiss, Mr. Harris.' Captain Weston watches the ship leave without even trying to finish them._

'_Aye.' Mr. Harris nods. Breaking his concentration on the departing ship the captain turns to relay orders,_

'_Secure the prisoners. Take account of the crew. Check the supplies. Then dispose of the dead.'_

'_Aye, sir.' Harris nods, then begins barking the orders at the men left on the deck,_

'_You lot! Get to your feet and secure those weapons. You! Get these prisoners to the brig…' The captain walks away leaving the tasks to the very capable sailor. He notices a certain passenger laying behind a few barrels,_

'_Ms. Vegaria, are you alright?' He offers a hand. She accepts,_

'_No, sir…'She reveals to him the slash on her back, but she proceeds with more bad news,_

'_But they captured Lady West, sir.' Fear and grief grace her eyes and voice. The captain applies pressure to the wound as he motions for a sailor to fetch the 'kit', his personal bag of 'medicine'. He then proceeds to calm her a bit,_

'_That is troubling. We'll have to remedy that then won't we?' He speaks reassuringly as he begins his inspection of the wound to judge the proper level of treatment._

* * *

After twenty minutes of wandering the sewers Tori, who was still carrying Jade bridal style, discovers a maintenance substation and gladly uses it to ascend back to street level. The entire reason they had wandered the sewer in the first place was that Jade didn't want to risk popping out of a manhole and having someone see them using inhuman strength to lift the manhole cover. And even with Jade unconscious Tori saw the logic in that…plus she might have felt that having Jade in her arms was slightly comforting, considering recent events.

But now that they were back on the street Tori made it a point to quickly call a cab…which drove away after the cabbie got a whiff of the odor covering them,

"Like your God damned cab smells any better!" She shouts at the bastard as he peels out.

Taking a deep breathe she starts walking for home, not bothering to wake up Jade, who apparently slept through the shouting and the constant noise of traffic right beside them. During the trek most people gave them a wide berth and very few people stared at the girl carrying another girl down the street in such a manner, but one guy did take a picture before heaving from the unique stench…Tori smiled as she kicked him over into his small pool of vomit. He looks up and shouts,

"Bitch!" Tori widens her grin as she simply proceeds down the street. In a lovely bit of poetic justice several other individuals began taking pictures of the guy.

At about three thirty Tori finds herself standing in front of her house fumbling to unlock the door with Jade still in her arms. As she drops her keys for the third time she considers simply dropkicking the damn door all the way into the kitchen, which given her strength wouldn't be an exaggeration.

"You could have just woken me up, Vega." With eyes still closed Jade speaks with light agitation at having to hear the keys drop again… funny how screaming and traffic are nothing, but a set of keys dropping is too noisy.

Tori does ghost a bit of embarrassment for having carried her so far in such a manner,

"…You were tired, so I figured I'd let you get some sleep." Her kind tone isn't exactly sitting well with Jade,

"You're just being nice because you still think I'm going to die from that little tumble I took, which is already ancient history." Her voice does bare a fair bit of distain for all the coddling, praise is fine but being treated like a child is way over the line. Tori smiles,

"If by ancient you mean an hour old…" But instead of continuing the cuddling she opts for something she knows Jade will like,

"But, no, I just like your warm body in my arms." She squeezes her arms a little applying some pressure to Jade's back and legs. Jade does crack a smile before opening her eyes and realizing where they were,

"…Did you carry me all the way here?" Strangely enough Jade hadn't paid attention to the fact that Tori fumbling with keys meant they were way beyond simply being topside and was reasonably shocked by the discovery.

"No, we flew for a while, then a heard of unicorns paraded down Main Street and a few gave us a lift." Tori sarcasm would have been well received if it hadn't been for one thing…

"Main Street?" Jade looks up at her with more surprise, not really super thrilled about tons of people seeing her carried about by Tori…regardless if none of them knew either of them.

"Well, technically no." The tone Tori implicates tells Jade that,

"We were on the street?" Tori drops her head and looks at Jade with one half-open eye,

"Yeah, only a few people seemed to even notice the very earthy smell radiating from us…I think it may have been thanks to the _artists_ on the street." Her voice does add a bit of loathing for the 'artists'.

"Vega, those are our people, how could you be so cruel?" The 'bride' feigns hurt as she places one hand against her chest. Lifting her head Tori grits her teeth,

"Singing about the time you ate a burrito isn't artistic." The particular rendition she's referring to lasted quite a while considering the guy followed them for a few minutes before Tori promptly head-butted him, rendering him unconscious…much to the delight of the folks nearby.

"Oh, those 'artists'. Yeah, that's an insult to the concept." Jade almost snarls at her own memories of those types of idiots who fail to accept that they suck.

"I'm glad you disapprove."

"When don't I?" Jade raises an eyebrow. Tori grins,

"When I'm laying on you." Keeping the eyebrow raised Jade reminds Tori of their current circumstances,

"Considering you're still holding me like this, are you sure that's how you want to play this?"

"Oh, so you're giving me a choice now?" The first thought that runs through Jade's head is, '_Dragon's got teeth…I'm not sure if I like this side of her more or the sexy playful teasing side…But first…',_

"…Let's just get inside, I'd like to take a shower." Having aired out for a while hasn't exactly changed the fact that they still sort of smell like burning troll flesh. Then Jade offers up a means of answering her own question,

"You can join me if you'd like." She almost purrs out the suggestion.

"I'll wait." Answering stone faced Tori stares ahead.

"Are you sure? I'll only bite if you want me to." Jade lays on the seductive as she basically whispers the tease into Tori's ear. However Tori doesn't seem to want to play anymore,

"Positive, now could you…" She motions to Jade, who misunderstands,

"Sure, why not." As she seizes the keys from Tori and effortlessly opens the door.

"Actually, I was talking about getting down…" Tori shakes Jade lightly as she flexes, hopefully spurring her cargo to actually depart her arms…but to no avail,

"Either way the door's open, so can we enter already?" Motioning to the open space with her thumb Jade stares up at her.

Tori wordlessly steps across the threshold with her 'bride' in her arms.

* * *

**AN:** I didn't realize I was even done with this chapter until I finished that last scene that just popped into my head…seriously, I just looked down at the word counter and said, 'crap I should stop', then look back up and it was an excellent way to end the chapter, how awesome is that…Sorry, strange things amaze me.

**DSN (Dream Scape Notes):** Jade's dreams are in fact dreams, which means they take whatever direction her mind wants them to, as well as muddling up various encounters and info, and stringing it along in a story. Despite the separation the dream is still Jori, and yeah it gets strange from here on out...but what else is new?

**TS (Technical Stuff):** I doubt sewers actually have maintenance substations, first: they should and second: regardless I like the idea so it stays, because reality isn't exactly winning out in this story anyway.

**P.S**. Tori carrying Jade bridal style, oh yeah (do the Bender, do the Bender (author doing the Bender, join me.))

-May Dread watch over you-


	32. Snuggling With a Dragon

**AN:** Perry the Platypus… 'nough said.

_Oh, and sorry about adding another dream so soon, but Jade does fall asleep, and more importantly it's Jade's dream so she might need to make an appearance every now and again._

* * *

After finishing with her half-hour long hot shower Jade saunters into the room wearing some of Tori's clothes, hers were currently being washed free of their troll scent. Noticing Tori was rather distracted sitting at her desk she decides to try something amusing, so she asks rather innocently,

"What'cha doin'?" Slowly Tori turns around to answer with a thin smile,

"Nothing, just waiting for the opportunity to take a shower." She motions to the neat little stack of clothes sitting on her dresser. Returning her gaze to Tori, Jade smiles mischievously,

"It was big enough for two." Tori raises an eyebrow,

"And I'm the one with the diabolical lesbian plots." Narrowing her gaze Jade answers rather seriously,

"Well, seeing as your plans are disturbingly detailed…yes, yes you are." Jade nods to further confirm her position on Tori's sexuality. When Tori simply rolls her eyes and turns around to resume typing something on her laptop Jade switches subjects,

"So, where's…" Her search for the white dragon is brought to an abrupt halt as he scurries onto Tori's head after having been hiding in the closet, having taken up this instinct whenever anyone neared the room,

"Never mind. I found him." She stares right at the little guy as he stares back. Tori, who had only been half paying attention to Jade, turns around in her seat,

"What?" Forcing Irot to maneuver in order to face Jade once more, who ignores Tori's lack of proper lucidity and inquires about the white dragon she hasn't seen in nearly a week,

"So, he still does the hat thing, then?" Speaking somewhat accusatorily she lazily points at the little guy.

"Yeah, and to be honest I missed it last night and this morning. It's strangely relaxing to have him on my head, sleeping." Tori finally checks back in as she looks up at her living hat before raising a hand to scratch his head.

"I would have said the same thing about Edaj, but you were acting as her replacement." Jade flops down at the end of Tori's bed as she looks over smirking.

"So I gave you that warm fuzzy feeling then?" Tori happily returns the gesture.

"Yeah, it was like snuggling next to an over-sized teddy bear." Jade lays back on the bed staring at the ceiling. She was still somewhat tired and the hot shower hadn't done anything to energize her…and Tori's bed was feeling incredibly comfortable, _'Maybe, a few minutes of shuteye.'_ However before she can succumb to a light slumber she is swiftly brought back by Tori's super sweet,

"Awwe, Jade snuggling with a giant T-bear, super cute." Jade immediately opens her eyes and sits up,

"And now I'm going to be sick." She actually starts looking for a trash can.

"So sewage and trolls equal deep breathes whereas nice equals vomiting?" Now Tori looks at Jade accusatorily, joined by Irot, who's version seemed slightly more guilt inducing. Jade is momentarily caught off-guard by the twin stare before she relays what she proceeds with her retort,

"…Most sewers are supposed to smell earthy because of all the detergents and soaps mixed in with all the diluting water, not horrible… But that sewer smelled more like super bad BO mixed in with rancid breathing and the very essence of un-bathed." Tori cringes at the memory of that scent, but then also recalls the smell of the sewer as she neared the substation… and it was more earthy, not putrid.

"Still, you prefer that to me being… adorable?" Tori couldn't for the life of her think of a better word to describe the super sweet. Closing her eyes and laying back down Jade answers casually,

"If I preferred that to you being adorable I wouldn't be here right now…" But after repeating what she had just said internally the dragon-knight snaps her eyes open. And Tori catches the action, making her smirk all that much more smug,

"So, I'm adorable?"

"Yes." Jade answers coolly as she closes her eyes again.

"Just like that? No snarky comments or sexy teasing?" Tori is rather shocked at Jade for such un-Jade-like behavior. Jade motions to the spot beside her as she speaks,

"We can snuggle some more if you'd like, but otherwise I think I might just take another nap." Then she releases a yawn. Shaking her head Tori really can't see how she could possibly be serious,

"Why are you so tired?" Jade answer lazily, not really all there,

"Maybe that super spell wore me out…or it could be the fact that I went ragdoll. The archive…" She interrupts herself with a yawn before proceeding,

"…said that dragoons regenerate faster and since healing requires energy, maybe it means we sleep a lot after we're injured because we're burning more energy." She lays her head to the side facing away from Tori. Somewhat stunned by the response Tori stares at her blinking more than necessary,

"Uhm…that's an interesting assumption. Also very specific." Then she narrows her eyes as she continues staring at the back of Jade's head. Jade rolls over completely facing away from the dragon-mage before throwing up a hand in a dismissing gesture,

"Too tired, talk later." The hand falls and not thirty seconds later, light snoring is now present in the room.

"…and she's out…at least now I can finish my journal…_Let's see, now I truly understand what Jade experienced…_" Tori spent the next half-hour typing away with various insights into her experiences, many of which were either with or about Jade, since this all started. She was inspired to vent her concerns after her breakdown before she blacked-out during her troll fight. She didn't write anything specific about any of the 'unreal' details, just in case Trina hacked her computer…or more accurately tricked Robbie or Sinjin into doing it for her. But she did start to feel psychological pressure start releasing from her as she worked.

* * *

After finishing up with the first series of entries she heads off for a shower, after resetting the laundry for the third time because once or even twice was not enough to remove the unique smell of troll. And as she did this Jade dreamed yet again,

_Aboard the vessel that attacked the Maria Rae, Jade is shackled at the wrists and being forcibly kneeled by two seadogs before the rather handsome and excellently dressed Captain of the ship, as he speaks to an older seadog to her left,_

'_So, do you believe that he is now significantly invested in hunting us down, Mr. Cole?' The captain's voice is rather enchanting as the words roll off his tongue with surprising grace._

'_He __**will**__ hunt us for the insult we just dealt him.' Mr. Cole returns the tone…despite his more ragged appearance. The captain turns his gaze on Jade smiling devilishly,_

'_And of our prize, do you think that will expedite his pursuit?' Mr. Cole nods,_

'_Yes, Captain Oliver.' Oliver smiles more cheerfully at the news,_

'_Excellent, not only will he chase us but I get a toy to play with.' But his wicked grin quickly returns as he eyes the Lady, ravenously. Returning some of his composure he bows,_

'_I would welcome you to the Jade Empress, my dear. Now to whom do I owe the pleasure?' He motions to Jade with his hand. There was absolutely no way on this earth she was going to tell him she had the same first name as his ship, beyond creepy, so she picks the first name to pop into her head._

'_Ruby West-on.' Jade West was by far one of the most intelligent people one could ever hope to never meet, for her ability to swiftly discern the best way to deal with any adversary was almost mythic…she played the part of the terrified captive because that's what this latrine-digging ass wanted. The answer perhaps brings an even more diabolical grin than if she had said her name was Jade,_

'_Weston? You wouldn't happen to be related to Captain Weston now would you?' He leans closer to her eagerly awaiting her reply. She frowns internally, _'Such an unassuming performance.'_ Completely disappointed in how little she has to do to maintain the ruse, before answering nervously,_

'_Y-yes, his daughter.' Nevertheless she stays the course, until the Blood captain that she had specifically hired for that reason rescuers her…and she gets to see that lovely little Vega, _'And I get to have a well-deserved treat…'_, she forcibly stops herself from grinning. _

_He leans back with the answer he desired and poses a question,_

'_Interesting. Mr. Cole, would his daughter make him hunt us more feverishly?' Mr. Cole answers sharply,_

'_Yes, sir. But I would not harm her…unless you wish the entire Blood fleet on us, sir. For I know he will know if you do.' But provides a healthy warning for inciting Captain Weston too much. Oliver frowns at the warning,_

'…_Pity, but I shall heed your warning, Mr. Cole. For what is the point of hiring his former first mate if I don't intend to listen to him?' He showed a disturbing level of self-control and competence, Jade would have admired him if he didn't make her sick to her stomach…not that she hated men, she liked them well enough, but right now she only had one body on her mind. And then there was this strange aura that seemed to corrupt his very presence…but she forced these thoughts aside not wanting to distract from any further questions he might ask. _

_The captain turns to the young woman with deep red hair standing beside him and offers a warning,_

'_And no toying with her either, Miss Valentine. You can be far rougher than even me.' She grins at the 'complement' before sighing,_

'…_fine, but I can still look.' But then quickly smirks again as she eyes Lady West, who looks away in disgust…but not before stealing a few glances of the fetching redhead, '_…No, still only Vega…'_, she smiles internally._

_This causes Oliver to grin thinly,_

'_Mr. Cole, take her to her new quarters…Miss Valentine's will do. She will have to find other accommodations.' Valentine grins,_

'_Yours are rather nice.' As she saunters up to Oliver and wraps her arms around him. He brings his face right in front of hers,_

'_I could use the company…' Then begins a deep lust-filled kiss as Jade is lead below._

_Once out of earshot Mr. Cole leans over and speaks to Jade,_

'_I would advise being very careful around those two, Ms. Weston. They can be tricky and a bit unpredictable. It would be far wiser to smile and listen, if you like not being raped that is.' He offers his warning with a kind voice, but the subject matter is deadly serious as is the warning. Jade nods,_

'_Thank you for the advice, Mr. Cole.' She doesn't get the same unnerving feeling in his presence for some reason and that makes her smile thinly, '_He seems bit out of place on this vessel…maybe an ally…'_, her smile deepens. He chuckles,_

'_It seems that is all this old man can give anymore. I hope it does you some good.' He smiles again before he takes back the lead and guides her to Ms. Valentine's quarters._

_As Jade stepped into the room she was greeted by a room adorned with…blood red; sheets, rugs, curtains over the small porthole, and a couple tapestries of ancient Greek battles. There were also more than a few whips, restraints, leather suits upon wooden dolls, and a chest with a large broken heart on it. Lady West absolutely loves the room, but, _'...I can't for the love of God imagine why I don't want this Valentine? She is so, dark and a bit sadistic and confident, she know exactly what she wants… but then there's Vega, so innocent and beautiful and warm and kind and…oh fuck, I'm enamored with a peasant who has no idea she likes girls…I'm hopeless.' _Jade sighs deeply, which_ _Mr. Cole misunderstands as one of grief,_

'_She has many unique indulgences… you may wish to sleep on the floor.' He motions to a spot on the floor free of Valentine's 'toys',_

"_I'll fetch you a blanket or two." Shaking away the impact of the disturbing décor Jade turns to Mr. Cole,_

'_More good advice, and Thank you again, Mr. Cole.' He nods before he removes her shackles,_

'_Of course I shouldn't have to tell you that you can't leave this room…and you're welcome.' Then smiles before he exits the room, closing the door behind him. Jade looks out of the porthole, her thoughts of the brunette without a real clue consume her every single time she considers indulging the sultry redhead's desire,_ 'Hurry up you damned fool, so I can kiss you already.' _And almost by divine providence that's what the 'damned fool' was going to…_

* * *

A fantastic cold twenty minute shower later (she actually did enjoy the biting cold for some reason, maybe because her skin had been set ablaze with super intense fire not two hours ago) she heard a very interesting scream coming from her room, unmistakably Trina's,

"What the hell? I knew it! Tori's gay!" Being able to hear her sister through several walls and over running water was far from a complement to Trina's voice. Sighing Tori ends her shower and quickly dresses.

Tori barges into her room with a fiery determination,

"Trina! Why are you in my room?" Which was easily showcased by her eyes, searing into Trina.

"I needed to burrow your laptop, but look who I found sleeping on your bed." Trina motions to the sleeping dragon-knight, spooning Tori's pillow while partially under the covers, _'When the hell did that happen?'_. The sight of Jade in such a compromising position silences Tori enough for Trina to continue,

"Your little girlfriend, too tired after…." Then the fact that Tori had just been showering kicks in,

"Oh, God! You two didn't just have…? Is that why you were in the shower?" Trina points at Tori with scandalizing shock painted all over her face. Tori rolls her eyes, _'Great, this again.'_, before answering flatly,

"No, I was in the shower because I smell like you after a workout." Her tone is all bite. Dropping the shock Trina showcases self-importance,

"I'll have you know that I smell…" But is swiftly interrupted by Tori,

"Like rhino ass? Yes, I know." She nods as she looks at Trina with pity, which incites her to storm out of the room.

"Too easy." Tori's constant sparring with Jade has sharpened her timing and wit considerable, much to her liking. So she only feels it necessary to thank a sleeping Jade,

"Thanks for the bladed tongue." Jade answers,

"Iron sharpens Iron." Tori isn't so much shocked by Jade's response but the fact that she was asleep when she said it, her still position and snoring were proof of her continued state of rest. There was also the way her voice sounded somewhat deeper and a little authoritative…almost Weston-like. But not putting too much thought into it Tori shakes her head and proceeds to drying her hair.

* * *

**AN:** To those wondering about how Jade knew exactly what was wrong with her, and that strange answer at the end, well those will be answered in the next mind council…but then again that is the answer. ;{)

_**DSN:**__ And as for this dream, do you like the evil Beck trying to steal Jade away from Vega right when they were about to…you know? _

_See this story is interesting in and of its self… Also a slutty bi-Cat, who seems to be way into…devices and casual sex, awesome right? (__**no**__ Cade…at least I don't think so… Oh, crap I forgot about Robbie in this story…but I did remember Rex, is that weird?)_

_And another pretty big thing, obviously not everything in the dreams is directly tied to reality Jade, her mind does fill in a lot of stuff from her own writer's imagination…and a few other things that we can't discuss yet. _

Also I need to cut back on the AN stuff…what sweet irony.

-May Dread watch over you-


	33. Adrian and Samael

**AN:** Tori kisses Jade… 'nough said. (Author nods once, then grins diabolically)…

* * *

Once Tori had finished drying her hair she looked over to see Irot sleeping on top of Jade's head, _'Now that is cute.'_ She proceeds to reach for her phone then stops herself dead, _'No chance in hell I'm taking that risk.'_

Having abandoned her phone she decides it's time for Jade to wake up and proceeds to do so by sitting on the bed beside her and whispering in her ear,

"_You need to get up, Honey. The kids are waiting for you to take them to school. I need to finish getting ready for the Legion meeting." _

"_Fine, fine. I'll take Adrian and Samael, just don't miss the meeting, Darling." _Truly surprised at not only Jade response but how quickly she responded Tori is taken aback. But finds her voice and proceeds,

"…_Okay, but if they're late again they'll be suspended for a week…and at home with you." _Tori leaps up from the bed as Jade sits up like a shot,

"I'm up! No need for them to mis…" Then regains her lucidity,

"What the hell was I talking about?" The look of utter confusion on Jade's face mixed with the sudden action causes Tori to begin laughing uncontrollably. Jade stares at her with steel glazed eyes,

"And what's so funny?" It takes the laughing-girl a few seconds to recover before she can answer,

"Do you remember anything of what we just said?" Still snickering Tori sits back down on the bed. Jade focuses her mind,

"I remember something…about school, but everything else was…eh." She shrugs like the conversation wasn't really important anyway. Finally stopping her laughter Tori looks at Jade with a grin,

"Who are Adrian and Samael?"

"What?" Jade's eyes can't hide the shock at hearing those names. Tori takes a more serious tone,

"You said Adrian and Samael, so who are they?" Jade sits there silently for a minute as she considers the question, then after sighing with her head down speaks softly,

"…Adrian was my maternal grandmother…she died when I was seven, she was my favorite." Jade cracks a thin smile before,

"She used to sing me these amazing songs... and those songs are what inspired me to…sing." Her smile widens a little as she looks up at Tori,

"And Samael was my paternal grandfather, he was the one that served in the war…and lost his nose. He used to tell me these amazing stories about the war…that may have inspired my writing." Jade's smile and face are graced with the presence of genuine tender-heartedness, which is doubly so for her eyes. Tori caught in the moment asks,

"What happened to him?" As she reaches over and involuntarily squeezes Jade's hand. Jade takes a deep breath before answering,

"Alzheimer's." She returns Tori's gesture but with full intention and appreciation of her friend. Tori starts to feel a slight depression at hearing this and automatically replies,

"Oh, sorry." Looking right into Tori's eyes with a light smile Jade reassures her,

"It's alright, at least I got to know him for a while at least." It wasn't terribly strange that Tori was the one who required the support despite the pain being Jade's, she had always had a kind soul and tended to take the solemn pain of friends and family as her own. With Tori still silent Jade adds,

"Besides, they were the reasons I got into the arts…They're who I've always thought I'd name my kids after." Jade looks into Tori's eyes with a warmth that she herself would still doubt existed inside her. Tori's spirits lift a bit as she grins lightly,

"That's really sweet, Jade."

"…yeah, I can be sappy sometimes…but right now we need to go see Edaj." As she finishes speaking she disembarks from the bed. Rising soon after Tori remembers,

"…oh, Trina's home. So we can use the car…and she thinks we had sex."

"So normal then?" Jade grins with an infinitely more Jade-like smile.

"Strangely, yes." After grabbing her bag with a few sets of clothes Tori follows her out of the room, _'There's a lot more to Jade than I ever thought, even after a few of our talks... She keeps so much inside, so much pain…but so much strength and a wonderfully warm soul… I'm glad I get to see this, to experience this.' _Tori continues to smile to herself as she descends the stairs_._

_9Dread9_

"Done?" Trina notices the two descending the stairs and bites at them as she leaves the kitchen area chewing on…something, crunchy.

"Well, she wanted another two orgasms, but I said we needed to hurry…" Jade throws her thumb back at Tori, who dropping the duffle hugs Jade from behind popping her head over Jade's right shoulder,

"So she made it an _amazing_ one." She tightens the hug as she kisses Jade's cheek. This action garners a smirk form Jade, _'About time you stepped up the teasing to physical affection._' Pulling out of the kiss she nuzzles her face next to Jade's. This does elicit a bit of surprise from Jade, _'Okay, that's a bit far…and nice…She has really soft skin…'_ A gracing of extra blood flows through Jade's cheeks. Tori simply smiles, _'That should seal Trina's freak-out… Jade's skin is warm._' Her smile deepens a little as does the grip of the hug.

Trina stands there…twitching,

"…"

"Is she actually speechless?" Jade narrows her vision, analyzing Trina…and pushing down the thought of Tori still squeezing her in a hug.

"I've prayed for that for so many years, it doesn't seem real." Tori starts smiling rather large and disappearing into a happy little fantasy as she increases the pressure of the hug…until Jade brings her back,

"Actually, I think she's choking." Now that Trina is actually trying to grasp at her throat.

"Trina!" Releasing Jade, Tori flies passed her. As Jade enjoys not being in a vice-grip hug any longer, she provides a warning as Tori is about to perform the Heimlich maneuver,

"…Careful not to press in too hard…you wouldn't want to crush her ribs." At these words Tori dead stops and takes a deep breathe… With her mind clear she applies as little pressure as she thinks she needs to. In one swift motion the force applied sends the obstruction out allowing Trina a few breathes. Helping hold her up Tori asks,

"Are you okay?"

"What took you so long? And your arms are cold." Trina's snippy incites Tori to release her,

"Sure, because 'thanks' is so hard to say." As she walks over to the fridge to fetch her ungrateful sister some water. Jade, who had taken it upon herself to simply watch, lazily sits on the bottom step,

"Should've let her choke. I would've helped you dispose of the body."

"And a whole lot a help you were just sitting there…letting me die." Trina takes a few steps toward Jade while pointing her finger at her. Jade rises with a wicked grin,

"I could remedy the not-dead part of that if you'd like." And takes a step closer to Trina, who freezes. Tori hands her the water as she informs her,

"Trina, I need the keys." With her hand outstretched and awaiting the keys. Trina looks at her dumbfounded…then,

"I almost died and you want to go driving? Wait, how'd you get here? I didn't see a car out front." Tori answers flatly,

"We walked." Jade grins, '_Yeah, 'we' walked alright.'_

"Then you can walk again." Trina turns to go sit on the sofa. Tori asks sweetly,

"Jade, please relieve her of my keys."

"With pleasure, mistress." Jade grins as she advances on Trina so quickly that she doesn't have time to retreat even a step. She begins a very vocal protest,

"No...no, no-no-no….nahh" Until Jade lifts her off the ground by her throat with one hand, where she now hoarsely offers,

"_Here!"_ As she produces the keys, tossing them to the floor. Jade sets her back down with a rather sweet condescending tone,

"Now was that so hard?" As she retrieves the keys in an elegant sweeping motion. Tori said nothing during the exchange, instead she moved to retrieve her bag. Then she waved to her stunned sister clutching her throat once more,

"Bye, Trina. We'll be back after a while."

_9Dread9_

"Was that absolutely necessary?" Walking to the car Tori asks as she motions for the keys.

"Yes, it made me feel good." Jade walks around the car and gets in the driver side.

"I don't think you're happiness is a necessity." Getting in the passenger side begrudgingly Tori then stares at her with a light scowl.

"Hm, I see fit to disagree." Jade grins as she starts the car and takes off.

_9Dread9_

They arrive at the West residence shortly after, mostly because of somewhat reckless driving on Jade's part.

"Seriously, ninety-five? And what was that with that school bus?" Tori's voice is gracing a new level of high as she exists the car shouting at Jade across said car. Jade shrugs,

"It wasn't stopped." As she rounds the car. Tori shakes her head,

"That doesn't mean you can pass on the right side…we almost hit a tree, not to mention the three mail-boxes that you clipped." She somewhat feverishly motions to a nearby tree and Jade's mailbox as examples. Jade stops and speaks rather smugly,

"Clipped being the operative word." Tori drops her head, sighs, and proceeds more calmly,

"Please, tell me you won't drive like that again...in my car!" But soon regains fire at having not only her life, but her car at risk… as a dragoon she might have survived a crash but definitely not her car. Jade smirks,

"I could, but it would be a lie." Before turning and heading inside. Tori stands there for a second, _'I need to get my keys from her.'_ Then following her inside.

Once inside Jade's room, Edaj found infinite delight in tackling Tori from the ceiling, to Jade's own delight.

"Energetic isn't she?" Laying on her back Tori looks up at Jade, who grins,

"Very..."At this Edaj plants her paws and leaps at Jade, forcing her to fall as the cub catches her slightly off-balance. Tori can't help but laugh as she looks over to Edaj's tail swishing about as she sits on Jade's chest, rubbing her head against her face. Jade soon repositions and begins scratching the tiger's head.

Tori now sitting against the foot of Jade's bed looks over,

"So, how long do you think she needs to…'drink'?" Jade doesn't even look at the cat to consider the possibility, instead she looks dead at Tori and smugly,

"Because I have the manual in your panties… crap my clothes are in your dryer." Then groans having completely forgotten that she was still wearing Tori's clothes. Tori simply waves it off,

"I'll get them later, don't worry…You look good in lighter colors." Then adds a nice complement…for effect. Jade raises an eyebrow,

"Checking me out?" Tori bobs her head back and forth before,

"…You know me." Smiling happily. Jade narrows her vision,

"Yeah…I suppose I do." And speaks accusatorily.

* * *

Inside the penthouse the others are searching for any sign of the duo. Beck having emerged from the second guest room asks Andre, emerging from the patio-balcony,

"Where are they?" Flopping down on the couch he answers with mild agitation at Beck's tone,

"And how exactly would I know?" He hides his thoughts, '_Dude, just because they're hangin' without you doesn't mean you have to freak-out.'_ Sensing Andre's annoyance Beck shifts his tone and requests,

"Try calling them again." Then Robbie announces from the master bedroom,

"…Uhm, I found them…they're dead." Andre and Beck bolt toward the room,

"What?" Shouting in unison. Robbie steps back at their sudden appearance and presents,

"Their phones. Their phones are dead." Both looking at the phones,

"Damn it, Robbie!" They leave the room immediately after, leaving Robbie to wonder what that was all about…Rex face-palms and shakes his head in a very disappointed manner. The figure in the pictures above the beds in the guest rooms is smiling devilishly.

Now that his minor heart-attack is over Beck calmly asks Andre,

"So, what now?" Who answers with a reasonable suggestion,

"We could try Tori's house." Beck stops Andre from heading to the lift,

"Just call there, then Jade's house." Andre nods as he whips out his phone. Obviously not needing to convince Andre, Beck still adds for his own benefit,

"There's no need to go there and have them show-up here while we're there."

"…But why was Jade's car on the street if they aren't here?" Emerging from the bedroom Robbie inquires. Beck pauses…then,

"I'll check the training room." Before heading off toward the lift anyway. Andre nods, still attempting to get through.

* * *

Still sitting on the floor of Jade's room Tori finally gets to speculate about something,

"Any ideas about that super spell?" Jade, who is now in the bathroom changing, peeks her head out,

"You're asking me now?" Tori shrugs,

"We need something to kill time while she…drinks mana, so yeah." Then reaffirms her choice in topic after motioning to the cub at the bathroom door. Jade follows Tori's gaze down then shakes her head,

"…No, I meant why not earlier?"

"You were mostly unconscious…or trying to kill us in my car." Tori stares right into Jade's eyes, as if she was trying to implant a thought that Jade would never drive that recklessly again…but to no avail as Jade shrugs it off,

"You're alive…and I guess because we're a double contract and we were touching. That might have amplified the spell's power." Jade raises her voice as she returns to the bathroom proper and finishes what she started.

"Very reasonable…but, by that much. That thing was huge!" Seemingly ignoring the fact that Jade couldn't see her she makes a hand gesture detailing the size of the blast. Jade shakes her head lightly while smiling into the mirror, _'I can't see you Tori, there's no need for hand gestures.' _But instead of voicing her thoughts takes a kinder route,

"Not even Weston is fully aware of how powerful doubles can be so…" She lets her voice fade allowing Tori to fill in the blank and agree,

"…I suppose." With the topic dead Jade can't help but remark,

"I'm glad you chose such a long and interesting topic to kill time."

"Well, we could discuss your snoring." Tori speaks slyly. Jade's head rapidly reemerges from the rest-room,

"I don't snore." And stares dead into the dragon-mage's eyes, who grins,

"I beg to differ…it's light and almost cute." She even makes a cutesy face. Jade steps out of the bathroom,

"So, my snoring, which I don't do, is cute?" She looks at Tori, half-teasing half-venomous. Tori finds the fusion rather strange but affirms her argument,

"Yeah, it is…and you totally do snore…" This little argument continued for another half-hour before Jade and Tori decided that they better get moving if they wanted to talk to Weston before the school was locked up for the night…if they even lock it, considering the whole reason they were dragoons in the first place. Tori doesn't recover her keys…yet.

* * *

**AN: **Plus there was technically a kiss…on the cheek, but still. (Don't worry, I'm getting to a real, full on kiss that will rock the very foundation of their relationship, be patient…and don't give me that 'but this is the 33 chapter' crap, I'm getting to it… *genuine smile*)

And Jade driving recklessly is far more fun than her trying to kill Tori in the desert. (The shovel is now sad… Don't worry, I hear some guys need a latrine… I think, the shovel ran away…yep.)

Finally the next Mind Council and a few answers are up next time.

-May Dread watch over you-


	34. The 13th, 57th, and 101st

**AN:** Fire!...did that clear the theater? I need to find a seat for the matinée. (Don't worry, the meds are kicking in…now…) Enjoy. :{)

* * *

Having survived Jade's driving they make their way across the near empty parking lot toward the doors. Only to have Helen appear out of said doors,

"Another day, huh?" Her gaze is rather sharp. Tori takes point and begins a very nervous answer,

"…Uhm, yeah…just doin' a little late night research that turned into an overslept by way too much absence." Helen's gaze only sharpens as the flimsy excuse fails to impress her,

"Uh-huh, and why are you here at this hour?"

"To pick up any and all missed assignments." Jade answers flatly. Helen stares at Jade for a second before,

"…fine, but don't make this a habit. You two are far too talented to go diva just yet." Jade is about to say something but Tori sharply elbows her side…eliciting a small whimper from her before Tori speaks,

"Of course, we'll definitely work on that." She smiles hesitantly.

"Alright, well good evening…and I **will** see you two tomorrow." Helen sharpens her gaze one last time before departing. Tori confirms uneasily,

"Yes, ma'am."

With Helen out of earshot Tori turns to Jade,

"Great, now I'm on notice." Looking at her with apprehension Jade responds,

"This isn't an eighties college comedy…we just need to not oversleep again." Then opens the door…and holds it for Tori, who sighs before entering as she replies,

"Easier said than done."

Once Jade is again walking beside her she slugs Tori in the arm.

"Owh, that hurt." Tori begins rubbing the point of impact as she looks at Jade with hurt in her eyes and a slight pout. Jade increase her pace,

"You deserved it for that 'nudge'." Tori scowls at the back of Jade's head,

"You were going to be rude." Jade spins around on her heels and presents her hands out from her sides in an 'I am Jade' introductory motion as she says,

"And?" Before smirking, turning around, and resuming her pace toward the Blackbox. Tori follows shaking her head.

* * *

When they initiate this Mind Council they find Weston looking away from them swirling his hands about in the air as if he were writing on a chalkboard. Noticing their presence he turns,

"…You're later than usual." Pushing aside the strange actions of the living statue Jade offers a casual explanation,

"Yeah, got held up at the penthouse." At the mention of the penthouse he has a 'eureka' moment,

"…Actually, that reminds me… I need you two to close your eyes and think about the study in the penthouse." His voice becomes calmer as they follow his instruction,

"…just the study. No friends, no movement, or books askew, just the room." After a few seconds of silence he smiles as he speaks,

"Now open your eyes…" As they do they are greeted by the penthouse study surrounding them…or at least the memory of the study manifested in the realm of the Mind Council. Both respond to the change of venue much in the same way,

"What the…?" He cuts them off rather sharply as he smiles and begins walking about the room,

"This is a proper Mind Council. I was waiting till you two got a little more comfortable with everything…" Then he takes a seat in one of the chairs and drops his voice a bit,

"But, I fear that I might need to expedite things." He motions to the available chairs as he proceeds without giving them the opportunity to speak,

"So, I shall begin by offering up a bit more on Mind Councils." Once they are seated he begins,

"Those who participate in Mind Councils can share memories and experiences. Not like what you two experienced after our first council that was no doubt a double contract experience, for I have had multiple councils with various beings who can initiate them and none have ever had that particular experience." He pauses awaiting the inevitable question, which Jade provides,

"What types of beings?" With a bit more of a casual tone he answers,

"Angels, Pagan Gods, Devils, and a few powerful magi and other half-bloods, but not many others have the required mana to maintain such a powerful spell." Since Tori had experienced more than one occurrence of the draining effect of spells, she begins,

"But we barely feel anything after…" Then part of it hits her,

"Oh, so that's why there's a time limit?" He nods,

"Yes, and up until now I was the only one fueling the Council, but now that you're focusing on this memory. So too are you now powering it, so it will last a little longer…" He takes a breathe as he shifts to his actual concern,

"But since I was putting **so** much energy into the Council a few of my memories may have slipped out…and there is a chance that one or both of you received them. Now I must ask if either of you has experienced anything that wasn't quite…" Tori cuts him off rather briskly,

"Yes. Jade has said some strange things." Jade stares at her dead as Weston asks,

"Really?" Tori ignores Jade's stare to answer Weston,

"She said, 'Iron sharpens iron,' in a very strange way. And knew very quickly about dragon-kin sleeping after receiving injuries in order to heal. There was also this moment that she knew about this massive fireball…" Now Charles cuts her off as he leans forward in his seat,

"Massive fireball?"

"We held hands and released this enormous fireball." She gestures to general size with both hands. He leans back in his seat,

"I have never experienced such a spell before, that wasn't mine. The 'iron' comment is an older memory from my time in China… and the healing is definitely Dragoon 101. I would wager that spell was a double contract occurrence." He twirls one end of his mustache as he affirms his belief with a nod.

"Told ya'." Jade sits back smugly.

"…So she did get a few of your memories, then?" Tori wishes to simply confirm that that's what he said.

"It would seem so… But not you?" He stares at her curiously.

"She has been a bit more provocative of late, that wouldn't be you would it?"

"Provocative? No, not my style." He answers rather causally. Jade grins,

"Then that's all on you then, Vega." Tori rolls her eyes…before she wonders about the blackout attack and begins to ask,

"…Uhm, there was also…" but cuts herself off as she isn't sure how to explain it. He picks up,

"If it's hard to explain…" Then he reads that she may also have trouble because of the nature of the thought so offers,

"Or too difficult to talk about, then concentrate on it and I'll know, that is one of the benefits of the Mind Council after all…the ability to share experiences and information quickly." He smiles in a rather reassuring manner and Tori proceeds to think about the twisted little thought. In almost no time he responds,

"…oh, so you removed those pesky Sewer Trolls then? Thanks, I'd been meaning to take care of that." He smiles at her,

"And well, I'm not sure what to make of that… you blacked out, which means I didn't see anything either. But it feels like a Brute-frenzy."

"A Brute-frenzy?" Jade actually likes the sound of that.

"A savage surge of pure primal instinct that causes a blackout and usually a fair bit of death and destruction." His answer is flat as he interlaces his fingers and sets them on the table. Tori considers the description and agrees,

"That sounds about right, considering the…" She pauses so Charles provides the exact word she was about to use,

"Dismemberment? Yes, that does fit the bill rather nicely."

"So…?" Jade asks because she would actually like to know more, for example how to use one.

"It's a half-blood thing. It happens whenever we are put in a true life or death situation, it's our most primal fight response… It's also the first step toward your first transformation into a dragoon." His voice goes a bit more solemn.

"I have to do that again if I want to transform?" Tori grimaces.

"The first time, yes…but the next one you remain in control. It's just the first one that's a real bitch. However, every Brute-frenzy will be exactly the same way…there is no improvement." After he finishes there is nothing but silence…so after a few moments he inquires,

"…are you two alright?" Jade answers,

"Fine, just letting it soak in." As she stares at the ceiling blankly…not really sure what to make of the idea of having to go completely savage if she wants to transform, _'Could be fun…as long as it's just us and no one who could get hurt is around'_. Tori remains silent, also staring at nothing, _'No control…just brutal impulse.', _she shivers slightly.

"Well, was there anything you wanted to ask? We still have time." Jade finds herself in a very interesting position, she has time but can't seem to think of any questions to ask,

"Uhm…" Then she takes an interest in her hand and it snaps into her mind,

"What's with the silver scar?" It takes him a second to recall what she's inquiring about,

"Oh, well that was just an antidote to the werewolf virus that might have infected you. The grey-back was bleeding and drooling, so I applied the compound to you to both stop the bleeding and prevent you from turning at midnight." Turning his attention from Tori he looks at Jade,

"And I cut you just in case the beasty infected you with any of its blood or salvia. But now that you're half-bloods that's no longer going to be a concern… and the scars will disappear after your first transformation." He's rather happy that they chose such a simple topic after the serious discussion, and his smile shows it.

"There's no way to keep them?" Jade rather likes the strange little scar of glistening silver. Tori is without opinion on her back scars…Jade however does have a thought, _'Tori got the sweet claw scar on her back…it would be a shame to have it just disappear. It's so cool and it looks really good on her…but it would look better on me.' …_The last thought almost seemed rushed.

"…I suppose you could…if you really want to. I do know a spell that will bind the additions to your body as part of you so that they will remain, but it will work on anything that is part of you, like tattoos or any piercings."

"And **why** do you know this spell?" Jade asks slyly. He sighs,

"…101st Airborne tat on my left arm. 57th Marine Corps on my right…and the symbol for the 13th special cavalry on my back." He makes a slow lazy motioning to each body part that adorns said tattoos. Jade looks at him inquisitively,

"Service Record?"

"Yeah, post-service. So, I get the desire to keep the scars…and the spell is '_Vruc minsef Madra nasrei iop Infinatio.' _Which literally means, 'Bind all My flesh as one for eternity'. That will keep the scars as part of you and anything else that is part of you when you recite the spell…within reason of course." He doesn't think it's necessary to specifically mention that their clothes and anything too large won't bind.

"Tori, can you remember the spell?" Having turned to the dragon-mage, who had been listening intently, Jade is rather surprised by her focus. Tori closes her eyes,

"Logged away…" Then opens them as she takes the opportunity to inquire about another item on their original list of questions,

"And while we're on magic…?" Weston takes action to avoid the extensive subject…for now,

"Talk to James, he'll give you what you need to know for now…and no funny business with my book. There are incredibly dangerous spells in there…not to be toyed with. But I'm going to trust you not to summon a necro-dragon." His stern speech ends with a lighter tone as he opens the door for a question.

"Zombie dragon?" Jade's thought, _'Awesome'._

"Sentient Skeleton in the shape of a dragon comprised of human bones twisted together." He speaks rather flatly.

"Don't summon bone dragons, got it." Tori sharply nods.

"We still have a few minutes…" Jade smiles at the continued opportunity for questions as she asks,

"So, where's the armory?" He laughs, then motions to the room,

"Study… Right here actually. You'll need the knife and medallion." He steps over to the bookcase along the left side wall and motions to the small medallion slot on the underside of the second shelf from the bottom. Then he removes a few books with the swipe of his hand, they fade as he touches them, to reveal a knife slot on the wall. Tori nods,

"Got it, thanks."

"And thanks for the memories…they're…helpful." Jade smiles sincerely. Weston responds with a half-smile and a wink, before breaking the Mind Council.

_9Dread9_

"Did he wink when I told him the memories were useful?" Jade looks dead at Tori. Of course Tori has no idea, she didn't even see the wink…but still offers,

"You think he gave you the memories on purpose, to help?" Jade rolls the possibility around her brain for a moment,

"…maybe…but if I suddenly remember having sex with women I will paint this statue pink." She castes a dead glare at the statue as she points at it. Instead of continuing the conversation Tori starts laughing at the idea of a pink dragoon statue. They leave the Black Box soon after, bound for the Bulltermark.

* * *

"They still had plenty of time." A powerful yet peaceful voice fills the visage of the Roseborn's study that Charles shifted back to once the girls departed. Charles shrugs,

"Yeah, but they were late." The voice hums in agreement…then asks,

"Are you going to tell them?" Charles smiles,

"No, Mike…they have much to learn and many roads to travel before they'll be ready for that." As he twirls his mustache the voice disappears with a grunt of approval.

* * *

**AN:** See answers galore. Any questions? (…That was a joke…*deep sigh*, I suck at comedy.) But as usual, I will answer any questions, within reason… no spoilers.

_**DSN:**__ And No, Weston is not responsible for Dream Jade's lust for Vega, that's all on her. _

_P.S.: 'Beware the were-virus' it's in my mind! (_I may need more meds…)

-May Dread watch over you-


	35. Kung-Fu Goof

**AN:** So mindless fluff…and a rather weird scene enacted by Jade and Tori that pays an homage to martial arts nerds…you'll know it when you read it.

* * *

As Jade and Tori enter the lobby of the Bulltermark the first thing that catches their attention is a certain tarjuh…well, really the only tarjuh they've ever met.

"Hey, Dan." Tori smiles and adds a short wave.

"Jade, Tori…ooh, Jori. That will certainly save time and it's very LA… or so I hear." Dan's essence seems a bit feathery as he offers the idea.

"That only works if the individuals are a couple." Tori happily corrects him.

"And?" His grin cause Jade's left eye to twitch,

"We aren't together." As she motions with her pointer finger moving back and forth between them. With her friends, or even a some outsiders Jade has no problem with the teasing whatsoever, but for some reason whenever Dan insinuates that they're a couple she doesn't find it amusing…she gets this gnawing feeling at the back of her head that he knows something she doesn't.

"If Weston were here, he would have my back on this. We share that unique ability to see true love even when everyone else fails to see it." He strikes a Hamlet pose, which seems to be Dan's favorite way to over emotionalize interesting moments.

"…Right." Shaking his head James looks to the girls,

"Anyway, your friends are waiting up stairs." Jade smiles,

"Thanks, James." Then scowls at the tarjuh,

"And Dan…get some help." He replies with a cheery smile,

"Already am, Dr. Cambers. She is smoking hot. Pity she's married… oh well." Then he half shrugs.

"Okay, then…see ya' around." Jade throws a hand in a lazy wave as she turns and boards the lift.

"See ya'." He grins again as he throws a half-wave, which Tori reciprocates with her,

"Bye." As she follows Jade.

* * *

Once the elevator is in motion Tori looks over to Jade,

"So, Dan thinks we're gay." Jade shrugs,

"He's also in therapy."

After only a brief pause Tori considers what Dan actually said,

"…do you think Charles thinks we're together?" Her eyes betray her question as serious despite her best efforts to smile and display humor.

"Do you?" Jade castes a serious smirk accompanied by a raised eyebrow as she stares at her. Tori drops her head,

"…I see your point." Jade laughs lightly before she informs,

"And we'll ask for the spells after Dan is gone."

"I already deduced that, West." Tori dons her cheap British accent once more.

"Then you are exceedingly less dense than I previously concluded, Vega." And Jade follows.

"One must not snap to such hasty judgment, West. It does make you look the fool."

"Says the court-jester."

"Touché." Tori preforms a little bow of surrender subsequently they both enjoy a little laugh before the lift nears the penthouse and their friends' expected inquisition.

* * *

Back in the Lobby, James stares at Dan with a wary eye.

"What?" Dan acts as if he has never even considered doing anything wrong. Keeping his gaze firm James asks,

"Why were you acting like that?" Dan shrugs,

"Insanity makes them take me less seriously." James bobs his head a bit then agrees,

"I suppose, but it is that really how you wish them to see you?" He knows Dan is usually very laid-back, but not really this airy.

"No, not really. But it will serve its purpose for now." His tone drops to more serious. James sighs as he drops his head,

"…I hate that look." Dan grins innocently,

"What look?" Bringing his head back up James narrows his vision on the rock-star,

"The one one gets when they're planning something… Charles gets it far too often for my liking…and the last thing I need is for a Dan version." Not that he despised Charles's plans, they nearly always worked out perfectly…but Dan… he was never sure how serious to take Dan. The man could be fickle, lethal warrior and clown prankster rolled into one.

"The last thing you need is an army of angels storming this building." Dan speaks rather pretentiously. James narrows his vision even further,

"Then it's a very close second." Dan simply laughs as he moves off to talk to Justin, now that his report had been delivered.

* * *

"Where were you guys?" Andre looks over as the girls enter the living room. Jade offers with a sigh,

"…long story." Tori elaborates,

"Involving a secret escape hatch leading to the sewers. I would not recommend taking it." Grateful for at least a little info Andre still asks,

"And that's why you guys missed school? You were hanging out in the sewers?" Jade glares at Tori, _'You just had to say something.' _Tori seems to understand the glare, not necessarily reading Jade's mind, but regardless she proceeds with more information,

"We overslept…then fell in the sewer and searched for hours trying to find a way out."

"Man-hole covers are heavy." Jade rubs her shoulder as if to say that they actually tried to lift them. Her actions seem to convince Andre,

"Oh. So…why were you sleeping here at all?" But he still has questions.

"It's a penthouse…why wouldn't we?" Jade makes it seem so obvious as she slumps down on the couch opposite Andre, who isn't deterred,

"But, why just you two?"

"You guys had already left." Tori offers as she sits in one of the recliners…the one closest to Jade.

"You could've called." Andre is definitely channeling a detective at this point in time.

"…Yeah, but then we wouldn't have been able to have sex…loud, _loud_ sex." Jade makes sure to add a little extra sexy in the second 'loud'. Andre just stares at them.

"So it's a crime if we want to bond in private?" Jade's tone has gone to serious.

"'Bond', eh?" Andre finally castes a smirk, _'My turn to tease, Jade.' _Rolling her eyes the dragon-knight reveals their 'big night in',

"We watched a movie, and then slept in separate rooms."

"I found a slice of pizza in the fridge." Cat chirps with glee. Definitely needing the distraction before Andre pursues his inquisition any further Tori leaps out of the recliner,

"Damn it! I knew we forgot something…" As she bounds for the pizza in Cat's hands. Tori castes a split-second wink at Jade, who instantly gets what she's doing,

"That's mine!" Jade is leaping over the couch as Tori reaches the slice,

"Got it!" Jade growls,

"No, you don't." Knocking Tori to the floor Jade catches the slice,

"Ah, back where you belong…in my hands." She eyes it greedily, but before she can take even one bite…

"Hihyaaaaah." Tori leaps up…taking a bite of the pizza.

Jade pulls back her hand coddling the slice,

"Woaahhhh-yahh." And takes a cheesy movie martial-arts pose,

"I will defeat you." Tori takes her own pose,

"No. I shall defeat you….whaaaahh-yah." Then rushes for the slice. They proceed to fake fight, leaping and dodging.

Now standing beside Cat, who retreated into the living-room, Andre leans over,

"Wow. We…missed **a lot** of bonding." Cat nods,

"Uh-huh." As they watch them dance about stealing bites as the pizza slice shifts from one owner to the other rather quickly.

Robbie had been catching up on a little research on his own, but the noise drew him out of the study,

"Hottest fake food fight ever!" His eyes and grin are wide as he observes them chasing after each other over the single cold slice of disappearing pizza.

"Not sure that constitutes a food fight, man." Andre looks over at him.

"They are fighting over food." Rex adds.

"…True." Andre nods as he turns back to the pepperoni ballet.

"Thief!" Jade shouts as Tori has just stolen the slice back, taking a bite…only to have Jade recover it and take her own bite, inciting Tori,

"Scoundrel!"

Beck returns from his trip to the training room, then a brief stop back in the lobby, to the scene before him,

"Uhm, I'm not interrupting am I?" Jade and Tori look over at him…then resume.

"I guess not." He walks over to join the others in their observation.

_9Dread9_

They proceeded with their actions until the slice had been consumed in the skirmish. Noticing the lack of pizza Beck inquires,

"Are you two done yet?"

"Yeah…I think so." Jade offers, _'…I may have enjoyed that a lot more than I should have…Tori, you are a strange drug.' _She smiles to herself as Tori offers,

"Well, the slice has been devoured so there is no longer any point to continue." As she grabs some water, _'Where the hell did all that come from?...Fun though.'_ She also smiles to herself as Jade stares at her.

"What?" Tori asks as she hands her a glass. Accepting the glass Jade keeps the stare firmly on Tori,

"You couldn't have said, 'the slice is gone, so we're done.'?"

"I could have, but where's the fun in that?" Tori grins mischievously.

"How is saying a longer, more boring version of something more fun?" A bit of distain graces Jade's voice. Tori's smile widens,

"Because…it annoys you." Jade's eyes soften,

"...only on days that end in 'y'." As she smiles as well.

"Cute."

"I try." Jade shrugs.

"You have to?" Smirking Tori leans against the counter.

"Well, we all can't be as naturally adorable as you." Jade grins playfully. Tori returns the gesture,

"Says the one who snores like a kitten in her sleep."

"I don't snore!" Jade breaks the game…and provides Tori with ammunition against that ridiculous accent Jade uses whenever she's mimicking her. This causes Tori to grin diabolically for a brief second before she resumes teasing,

"But you do…and it's a nine on the Cat Cuteness Scale." (Who else could you name a cuteness scale after?)

"Not a ten?" Jade's slightly offended that she fell short of perfect.

"Have you seen Cat sleeping?" Jade doesn't target the creepy fact that Tori has watched Cat sleeping…mostly because she has done it to and agrees with how adorable it is. So she instead agrees,

"Nine it is then." And decides they have provided a more than sufficient distraction for now.

But as they're turning to enter the living room they notice the five sets of eyes looking at them.

"What?" They both ask in unison. Beck shakes his head lightly,

"…So many questions." But he doesn't actually ask any so Jade bites,

"If you aren't going to ask them, then I suggest we make our way to the study." As she passes them and heads into the room. Andre asks the back of her head,

"More research?" Jade peeks her head out,

"No, target practice…" And grins devilishly. Tori suddenly turns to Cat,

"Oh, Cat could you please go ask James if there is a practice range."

"Practice for what?" Cat's questioning look, incites Tori to try again,

"Target practice. Just ask him about a Target or Practice range, okay?" Then she smiles sweetly.

"Kay-kay." Cat returns the smile before she bounds toward the elevator. Leaning over to Tori, Beck inquires,

"Any particular reason you didn't say 'shooting', 'firing', or 'gun' range?" Tori's answer is simplistic in its elegance,

"Cat."

"Understood." Everyone agrees as they all enter the study. Many of whom are wondering exactly why the hell they are going into the study… but they do not voice these concerns, instead allowing a rather determined Jade to provide the answers in due time.

* * *

**AN:** Yeah, I'm not a 100% on this chapter…something felt a little off…I'm sure it's just the excessive amounts of caffeine I was on at the time of this chapters creation. But, opinions?

Sorry, if that was weird…the next chapter will make up for it…and be a little longer too.

Next Chapter (**NC**): Holy Frag, a Dragoon!

-May Dread watch over you-


	36. Holy Frag! A Dragoon!

**AN:** Time to actually crack open that armory…

Yeah I'm not a hundred percent sure I'll be able to post Monday as has become normal, so I'll post now and pray that I can still post Thursday...enjoy

* * *

Tori swiftly places the medallion in its slot as Jade pulls out the obstructing books. Then Tori slides the knife into the its slot and turns it left. Soon after, the bookcase moves toward them, causing them to retreat before it begins sliding aside.

"…Holy Fuck!" Jade exclaims rather loudly as the door slides completely away. Tori nods,

"That is a lot of guns." Inside the hidden camber was a rather nice collection of firearms; pistols, rifles, shotguns, machineguns, and a healthy number of specialty and military grade weapons as well. Every single weapon had a place on the brightly lit white walls, most laying horizontal on metal hooks or arms (depending on the size of the weapon). Several of the more basic assault rifles and pump shotguns sat vertical inside little cabinets, still on the walls. Beneath the guns were shatter proof glass cabinets full of the various types of ammo; from special monster slayer rounds to ordinary hollow point.

"What is that?" Surprised by its presence Jade finds herself drawn to a rather large gun at the back of the room, flanked by other large weapons. This is as close to 'kid in a candy shop' as one could ever hope to find Jade, for she was wide-eyed with an enormous grin as she stands before the weapon that she should already know something about. Tori joins her by the monster of a gun,

"Looks like a…Mark IV Berknight-134 mini-gun with a custom single arm grip and oversized magazine box." She looks over at Jade with a smile. The six barreled electric driven beast had an elbow length arm brace near the custom single hand grip that allowed the shooter the ability to wield the weapon with one hand, provided they were strong enough to do so…not that that would be a concern for a half-blood.

Andre hears the description and can hardly believe Tori just said that,

"Tori, how do you know so much about guns?" She sidesteps to reveal a small interface below the weapon and points at it,

"I can read." She states with a wink. Jade busts out laughing,

"Nice… Ooh, tri-barrel shotgun." But is rapidly drawn to a weapon on a side wall…a three barreled revolver style sawed-off shotgun. As she's ogling the shotgun Robbie spots another weapon on the 'big gun' wall,

"Is that a bazooka?" Tori nods after briefly eyeing the name on the screen,

"Yep…and that's a grenade launcher." Then swiftly names off the gun that Andre seems to be drawn to. Andre picks up the six-barrel 30mm grenade launcher and feels the weight…and has a Jade moment as he tightens his grip on the beast, enjoying it thoroughly, _'This is now my baby.'_

Departing the 'big gun' wall Tori found herself drawn to a few boxes of ammunition sitting inside one of the clear cabinets below a section of pistols on the 'smaller arms' wall. Jade paid her little attention as she turns around and faces the others,

"This is officially my favorite place on Earth!" Jade exclaims as she twirls the tri-barrel like a revolver then pretends to holster it. She seems a bit caught off-guard and nearly drops the shotgun when Tori tosses her a box of 10mm ammo,

"Here." It was for Jade's pistol, which was holstered on her back…she swore she would always carry it after the troll incident. Barely catching it with her free hand Jade looks at Tori warily,

"Ammo?" Tori grins,

"Special…were-beast slayer rounds." Jade still was silent as she looked at the silver and black box so Tori continued,

"Harden steel with mystic silver tip and core. Inscribed with sigils of destruction." Jade smirks,

"Were they also cooled in virgin's blood?" Tori pauses as she rereads the screen beside her,

"…Yes." Jade's smirk rapidly disappears…then she shrugs,

"…I guess better safe than sorry." And goes back to eyeing various guns on the wall.

Tori was happy to read the screens and offer smoke and incendiary ammo to Andre and even give Robbie a smaller pistol with target rounds (non-lethal practice rounds that still hurt like a mother) only…no way in Hell he was getting actual bullets. Jade took notice of the fact the Tori hadn't retrieved one for herself,

"What, you don't want one?" Tori turns her eyes away from Jade to look at the 'big gun' wall. After a few seconds of silence she looks over to Jade,

"…guns are fine, but I much prefer my magic." Then holds her hand up as if she were going to summon the torch and smiles. Jade chuckles,

"Oh, I'm aware of your love of roasting things…" Her smirk disappears as she more seriously offers,

"But those spells aren't exactly as fast as lead… or steel as it were." She rolls her eyes remembering that her particular rounds were made of a different metal. Tori sighs before she eyes the 'smaller gun' wall,

"…I'll take the…" But is interrupted by Jade,

"Tri-barrel." Who hands her the tri-barrel. Tori holds the gun with both hands as if it were a book she was reading,

"What?"

"It's prefect…since you like magic you'll only use it when something gets close, which is the only range it's useful at." Jade smiles as she starts looking for a new gun to call her own.

"…that makes a lot of sense, Thanks Jade." Tori returns the smile as she grips the gun more properly. Jade waves her off without breaking away from her search,

"Yeah-yeah, just get your special monster slayer rounds or whatever and don't get gooey on me." Tori follows the suggestion and begins searching the shotgun ammo section, finding,

"…ooh, dragon slayer rounds. It says they're effective against most hard skinned monsters." Jade stops her search to consider the ammo,

"Probably armor-piercing with a shredder break after initial penetration."

"What?" Looking up Robbie asks as he pulls back the charging handle on his gun…releasing it accidentally and having it hit his other hand that had moved a little too close. He drops it and cradles his hand. Jade laughs before answering,

"They go through hard things then burst into shrapnel."

"Sounds nasty." Andre comments with a grimace at the thought of tiny pieces of metal cutting up everything they touch.

"Banned by the Geneva Convention, so yeah…big time." Jade nods at her own addition then resumes her hunt for a suitable firearm. Finally Beck adds input,

"And you possess so much weapon knowledge because?" As he hefts a black AK-47 with a suppressor and folding stock. Jade turns around and points at herself with both thumbs as she smiles creepily large,

"I'm Jade, and I love things that hurt other things…you should see my web search history." Then goes more serious as she smirks.

"The fact that she's not at Guantanamo Bay is a miracle." Tori smirks as she motions to her with her head.

"It's not like I researched high explosives or anything…just guns, lots and lots of guns."

"And ammo?" Tori offers.

"And swords…like this one…" Jade now takes notice of the wall covered in only blades; traditional swords like the claymore and short sword, curved like the shamshir and katana, and finally the weird stuff like giant shuriken and disk-like blades. There were also a few spears and a halberd as well as a reaper's scythe… But strangely Jade is drawn to a katana, which Tori notices,

"Nice one then?" Jade's eyes are a bit wide as she takes in the majestic slightly curved blade before her. There is also a bit of a sparkle as she grins,

"This is a real katana….an actual Japanese samurai's sword. From the 16th century…" She gets the feeling that she knows this sword…and then it hits her,

"Oh, shit! This is Nobunaga Oda's personal sword…this should be in a museum. I'm totally using this on the next monster we meet." There are very few times in Jade's life where she smiles this large and holding that sword is definitely amongst them… the other times have Tori there too.

Tori hates to rain on Jade's parade…but,

"I'm glad you found something so nice, but do you really think Weston is going to let you use a priceless piece of Japanese history?" Her voice obvious with skepticism.

"Yes, yes he will." Jade states confidently. Tori narrow her vision on the dragon-knight,

"And how do you know that?" Rather smugly Jade begins,

"Because it isn't out there on the wall or at his manor, which can only mean it's a weapon to be used in battle." Letting the argument wash over her, she finds herself agreeing,

"…that makes a lot of sense." Again rather smugly,

"Why wouldn't it…" Then she drops her words to a whisper,

"…_considering that I may still have a few pieces of Weston's insight_?" Tori nods,

"_Gotcha'_."

_9Dread9_

As the Dragoon Duo eye the 'blade wall' Cat returns. Catching her return Robbie waves,

"Hey Cat." A bit stunned she takes in the room,

"Woah, that's….that's a lot of guns." Her eyes glisten with a combination of fear and awe.

"Yeah, but you don't have to shoot them." Tori tosses a dismissive wave at the room in general,

"Or even worry about them in the least. We'll handle the firearms…" She presents her shotgun lazily, then kindly stares into Cat's eyes,

"You handle not getting hurt."

"Kay-kay." Cat cheerfully leaves the study without ever stepping foot inside the armory. Jade tears herself away from the Oda sword in her hands long enough to comment on the lack of Cat,

"That was easy." Tori smiles as she turns to face her,

"And no button in sight." Jade grins at the expression,

"Except this one…" And pushes a small blue button at the dead center of the 'blade wall', which was hidden beneath the Oda sword. She had hoped Tori would have pushed it, given her recent luck with buttons…but with her not noticing it she decided to take the opportunity to see if she still had the 'button curse'. Expecting the entire room's floor to give-way Tori looks at Jade in disbelief,

"Did you really just push that?" However, despite Tori's worst fears the only thing to occur is a two foot wide glass cylinder with a stone pedestal inside it to rise from the floor.

"Interesting." Jade smiles, '_My luck is improving_…._Wait, is that a…?'_

"It's a…pistol." Tori proclaims as she eyes an antique single-shot pistol upon the stone pedestal inside the cylinder. Jade sharpens her gaze on the weapon, _'It is!'_ Then begins laughing.

Tori darts her eyes at the gun then Jade trying to figure it out… But gives up and asks,

"What's so funny?" Jade smiles and points at the pistol,

"That's a Dragoon…flintlock pistol." Tori begins shaking her head and laughing lightly. The others still in the armory look at them funny. Jade catches the look,

"…It's just strange that he has this old pistol in here with all these more modern guns." She then motions to all the various guns. The others consider the explanation…and ultimately see it as Jade's strange sense of humor starting to rub off on Tori.

Tori motions to them as she leaves the room,

"Let's just get moving…" Once they collect their guns and some ammo they follow out into the living-room. Tori looks over at Cat sitting in one of the recliners upside-down, _'I would ask, but she is the answer.'_

Ignoring the strange sitting position Tori inquires about the entire reason Cat left before they even went in the armory,

"So Cat what did James say about the range?"

"What range?" Cat asks innocently as she sways her head and kicks her feet a bit. Tori sighs and answers kindly,

"The target/practice range we talked about earlier." Cat stops all her moving when she remembers,

"…oh, he said 'Third level Sub-basement.'" She tries to mimic his voice, to a surprising degree of success.

"How many sub-basements can this place have?" Beck asks as he leans inside the study doorway with the AK over his shoulder and an ammo box in the other hand.

"Five." Tori answers flatly. They all stare at her…except for Cat who decides to get up and is too distracted to even notice Tori's answer in the first place.

"What, it was on the panel." Tori shrugs before she leaves for the lift.

_9Dread9_

"Are you actually bringing a grenade launcher to an indoor practice range?" Beck asks Andre as they board the elevator. Andre shrugs,

"…Uhm, yeah." Answering nervously. Jade castes her eyes to the conversation that is about to start and decides to end it now,

"…Chances are it's designed to handle the extra shock force anyway." Andre rather happy to have Jade finally starting to back him up smiles,

"I'm definitely liking the friendlier Jade." She shoots him a scowl,

"I'm not friendlier… just distracted." Then lets her eyes fall a bit softer toward Tori. Noticing the eyes on her Tori hoists the tri-barrel to her shoulder and strikes a pose,

"I do look hot with this shotgun, don't I?" Then grins devilishly. All the guys nod as Jade chortles lightly,

"Without question, Vega." Then her eyes show a glint of diabolical as she grins more devilishly and stares at Tori. This particular look isn't like all the teasing…and that does concern Tori a bit so she asks,

"Jade, why are you looking at me like that?" Jade keeps the look as she moves a little closer to Tori,

"Just thinking about something that happened earlier."

"What would that be?" Keeping her concern Tori turns a little to more easily face Jade. Still in character Jade seduces the very words that comes from her own mouth with her tone,

"That kiss." Tori releases a sigh of relief,

"Oh, that… I thought it was something serious." Shaking her head she laughs a little, '_Jade, you scare the hell out of me sometimes.' _

Jade maintains her tone,

"But it is. The knight is supposed to be given a kiss, she shouldn't have to steal it." But she adds a bit of pleading to the subtext. Tori internally rolls her eyes before offering,

"Well, you could remedy that…" As she takes the step that closes the gap between them. Jade doesn't lose pace,

"I could…" As she brushes her fingers along Tori's cheek,

"Or I could take you to dinner this Saturday?" Then drops it completely as she takes a step back to get some air… Tori was hogging it all. Caught off-guard by the offer and the dropped tone Tori agrees,

"…uhm, sure. Where and when?"

"Eight at the…" Jade grasps for a location, not having anything on her mind at the time… She's saved by Cat,

"Blood Creu." Everyone looks at the redhead,

"What?" Robbie, Beck, Andre, and even Rex found it better to not interrupt either of them when they were teasing…unless you wanted them both to turn on you with sharp biting quips. However Cat noticed that Jade was struggling for a location so she offered one that she recently heard about,

"Dan was in the lobby with the doorman talking about it. But it has a really special list that you have to be on. Some men in white coats said my brother was in need of special help, do you think he could get in?"

Gritting his teeth, Beck was still a bit annoyed that Dan was still in the lobby; he had been there when Beck came up from the gym…so he simply continued back up to the penthouse, not bothering to ask if they had seen Jade or Tori.

"I seriously doubt it…but the Blood Creu sounds prefect. I'll talk to Dan about getting us in." Jade smiles as she turns her attention back to Tori, who returns the smile,

"Sure, Jade. So, will you be picking me up?" Not like she really expected any other answer than the one that Jade provides,

"Yes, yes I will, at eight. Dress casual." Tori thinks to herself, _'It's called Blood Creu, how fancy could it be anyway?' _But instead she simply complies,

"Okay. I suppose we should get to the shootin' then." Noticing that the door is about to open. 'Shootin'' is all the trigger Jade needs to don the mock Tori voice,

"Yeah, we all should get to the shootin' alright." Which Tori counters with a grin and,

"You know you almost sound like a tiger cub when you snore." Jade's eye twitches, _'And I just lost my leverage.'_

* * *

**AN**: What? Dragoon owning a Dragoon, that's funny.

Andre with a grenade launcher, Beck with an AK47, Robbie with a .22cal pistol, Jade with a 10mm and the Oda katana, and finally Tori with a tri-barrel in one hand and a fireball in the other…oh yeah, that's a sick image...:{)

(I cut back on my AN length, yeah…)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was a delight to write...

**NC**: Drill Sergeant West

-May Dread watch over you-


	37. Drill Sergeant West

**AN:** The weird train is still loco…

* * *

The last thing on Earth that they expected when those doors opened was a forest, but that's exactly what they got; a forest not only with trees but also with various targets and target dummies set up all over the place.

"What the Hell?" Andre and Beck belted as Robbie stared and Cat smiled in wonder.

"Weston is one awesome SoB." Jade is also grinning as she observes the sparse forest. Tori instead of grinning like mad inquires about the other sub-basements,

"I wonder what's on level four." She shifts her vision to the button, considering pushing it… but is interrupted by Jade,

"Or five." Then Tori notices the sad number they skipped,

"Or one for that matter." Jade shrugs,

"Probably just storage." And Tori agrees with no hesitation,

"Most likely."

"Are you two serious? There is a freaking forest down here." Beck looks at both of them as he presents the woods with his free hand.

"We can see that, thanks though." Jade smiles politely as she steps off the lift and graces the forest, as she does she notices a slight…tingle, just as she crosses the threshold of the lift.

"Really?" Andre asks, as Tori steps past him with a smile,

"We'll have to show you the office before we leave." She also feels the tingle as she joins Jade in the…Target Forest. Jade considers the little forest in Weston's office,

"I think it actually looks nicer." Tori agrees after her own consideration,

"It does…I suppose that's thanks to the fact that it's on the tenth floor." Then shrugs as she moves over to a stone table and a steel chest. Jade follows,

"Makes sense."

Joining them, Beck seems to be spinning around slowly trying to take in the entire forest in an attempt to understand it,

"None of this makes sense. How is this even possible?" Jade who is now kneeling in front of the chest, about to open it, offers,

"Magic seems like the best answer."

"Magic?" Beck stares at her like it's the stupidest answer on Earth. Tori offers a more…technical answer,

"Some kind of weird trans-dimensional doorway thingy." But despite her recent dealings with the logic of the nerds she finds herself out of her depth when dealing with advanced concepts like transient energy fields and wormhole theory…however she isn't left dangling in the wind as Jade steps back in,

"Well the sun is shining… and I did got this feeling when we stepped through the doors."

"So, just like that you two are completely fine with…this?" Beck seems to have developed a nervous twitch as he stares at the two motioning to everything with his arms stretched out.

"Yeah…" Tori starts…and they both finish,

"Pretty much." Now Jade returns to the chest and opens it…revealing several pairs of goggles and full coverage ear-protect.

After doling out the safety equipment they seem ready so Andre steps forward,

"Now let's get past the awesome forest and to the actual shooting." But Jade speaks with a calm authority,

"First we need to go over the basics…"

_9Dread9_

After Jade's introductory course on firearm safety and proper handling they move on to the actual shooting,

"Andre, you seem to not suck, so you're up first." That was as close as Andre could hope for a compliment, unless he suddenly turned into Tori, so he smiles and steps up to the arbitrary location that Jade had chosen as the firing position.

"Aim for the target by that oak." Jade points to an oak tree only about fifty yards away.

"Gotcha'." Andre raises the six-round grenade launcher, only carrying one round as of right this moment per Jade's _request_, and takes aim at the dummy near the tree.

"Tilt the gun up." He looks at her funny, so she rolls her eyes

"It is a grenade launcher after all." Jade places two finger under the end of the barrel and begins pushing it up, until Andre gets the message and raises the gun further for a more proper angle. Jade turns back to the others,

"Everyone ready? It will be noisy." Once Tori gives her the thumbs-up she pats Andre on the shoulder,

"Fire when ready." After a few seconds of psyching himself up, not that he really needed it, he pulls the trigger. The 30mm projectile arcs up and slams into the ground about ten yards short of the target. Dirt is thrown into the air as it detonates on impact. The explosion made everyone jerk back except Jade and Tori, who simply thought, _'I've seen bigger.'_ Jade castes a glance back at Tori, as they think they each felt the same thought in each other's heads. They smile thinly then break the eye-contact.

"Holy Shit! That was awesome!" Andre throws his gun arm into the air as he shouts in approval of his gun. Tori speaks up,

"Nice shot…except the target was a bit further up and a little to the left." As she points to the undamaged dummy, still standing. Andre rapidly looks over to the target and drops his gun arm back down,

"Oh, oops."

"First shot and none of us are dead, that's not bad in my book." Jade grins at him and gives him an encouraging nod.

"When did Jade become the nice, encouraging one and Tori the cynical ass?" Beck smirks.

"You don't want to know." Tori looks over to him and winks with a smirk of her own. Beck doesn't quite find it that amusing, _'I know I shouldn't be worried, but that…isn't right.'_

"Well, Andre, there is a reason we brought more ammo…but we don't have an unlimited supply so try to get your angles down before you make the shot." Jade's wearing a smile, but her tone is a bit flat as she basically says try again on your own.

"Yes, Drill Sergeant." Andre snapped a rather crisp salute with a grin…Jade rather liked the moniker and hoped he would use it again. The 'Drill Sergeant' then speaks with more feeling,

"Just don't blow yourself or the rest of us up…excluding Rex, feel free to use him as 'live' practice."

"And that's the Jade we know and only two love." Rex looks from Beck to Tori. Tori snickers as Beck steps forward with his AK,

"I suppose I'm next?" Jade nods,

"Yes, Cadet Oliver…if you think you can handle a gun that big?" She motions to the AK resting on his shoulder.

"Trust me this is well within my range." He winks at her…and Tori provides 'encouragement',

"Then get to it." Beck smiles as he shoulders the gun and takes aim at Andre's target. He carefully lines up the sight and then pulls the trigger… And promptly steps back awkwardly as the burst of shots forces the gun upward. Without him bracing for the recoil, the gun is almost vertical when the third shot leaves the barrel.

"Yeah, you handled that like a pro." Tori smirks. Jade however offers advice,

"Next time brace for the recoil and hold the gun on target."

"Unless you need a smaller gun?" Tori chuckles as her smirk stays plastered on her face.

"I've got it." Beck waves her off as he steps aside. The 'Drill Sergeant' waves Robbie up with two fingers,

"Robbie, you're up next." Tori steps forward and puts a hand on Robbie's shoulder as she looks right at Jade and barks,

"Drill Sergeant West, take this piss-ant momma's boy and turn him into a grade-B marksman." Jade almost snickered when she said 'B' instead of 'A', marking how hopeless it would be to expect Robbie to do any better than average, but instead she snaps to attention,

"Yes, General Vega, ma'am." Jade's expression was as stern as if she was actually saluting a general. Releasing her hand from Robbie shoulder Tori takes a step closer to Jade,

"I've told you a hundred times, West, call me Tori…I know you know how." She drops her voice some as she adds a sexy smirk. Jade maintains her composure,

"Not in front of the recruits, ma'am." As she motions to the others with her head.

"Then later in my office, without those pesky clothes." Tori smiles a she motions to Jade's body, then winks.

"Yes, ma'am. It would be my pleasure."

"Mine as well, West." Tori winks once more before grabbing her tri-barrel and moving off. Andre snickers as Beck rolls his eyes.

* * *

Tori's intention was to do a little exploration/solo target practice… unfortunately Cat decides to follow her. She rapidly takes notice of the redhead, unlike in Jade's car yesterday,

"Hey, Cat." Cat beams a little as they move into a slightly thicker part of the woods,

"Hi, Tori."

"Any reason why you're following me?" Tori asks flatly.

"I don't like the explosions." Cat pouts a bit. Tori stops walking and motions to her gun,

"This guy tends to make a little noise too, so…" Cat is undeterred in not wanting to be around Andre's grenade launcher,

"But there's only one of you."

"Well, two if you count yourself." Tori smiles as she points at the redhead with her unarmed hand. Cat beams a little more,

"But I don't have a gun."

"Do you want one?"

"No, no. I'm good." Cat waves her hands in front of her, dismissing even the thought.

"Well, if you're going to follow me, you can tell me what you think." Tori resumes walking down a path further from the standard range. Cat hastily catches up to her driven pace,

"About what?"

"Everything…monsters, magic, me and Jade…hunting." She added the last word because she wasn't terribly sure Cat would get that she wasn't asking about her and Jade in any type of relationship, romantic or otherwise.

"I…I don't like the idea of any of us fighting monsters…" She slows her pace as sadness starts crawling across her face. However, she recovers her speed and replaces the frown with a thin smile,

"But I think you and Jade are going to do a lot of good."

"What makes you say that?" Tori looks back at her.

"My mouth." Cat's answer elicits a light laugh from Tori, which makes Cat smile a little more. The dragon-mage does clarify though,

"No…why do you think me and Jade are going to do a lot of good?" Cat's face enters rare territory for her, contemplation…not that she couldn't enter a state of deep thought, it's just that it made things less fun and more complicated, so she rarely went there. Primarily because when she did people didn't always like what they heard…or they put too much pressure on her to stay in a state of contemplation, so she mostly stayed in airhead providence where she was happier. But right now she decided that Tori could use some of her insight,

"I don't know…it's just a feeling that you two are special… hey, maybe you two are on the list for that club." But she doesn't stay long for fear of what she might end up saying, like with Andre and Beck. Tori just waves it off, but not before smiling at the thought of her and Jade helping people,

"Maybe. ...So what do you think of Dan?" She changes the subject in hopes of getting some new insight into the weird snake man. Cat liked him, he was like her…vivacious, not the weird fangs part. So she smiles,

"He seems really nice…except when he made Beck mad." Then she thought about the fangs and him holding Beck up in the air. Tori stops walking after emerging in a small clearing and turns to face Cat,

"What did he do?"

"Who?" Cat isn't sure which one Tori's asking about…and Tori gets that she wasn't clear so she smiles as she clarifies,

"…Dan."

"He was talking about you and Jade being a couple…" Dropping her head, Cat 's starting to get this gnawing feeling that Jade and Tori aren't just friends...weather they know it or not. She now regretts her outburst with Andre and Beck, '_I should apoligize to Beck...but that might cause problems...I hate hurting people.' _

Tori chuckles and smiles,

"Yeah, he's mentioned that…he's also in therapy. And he's wrong about me and Jade." She nods as she places a hand on Cat's shoulder. The redhead bobs her head side-to-side,

"…I know…I think. You two do seem…happier when you're together." Then looks up at Tori and conveys that truth as she stares into her eyes. Tori freezes for a second, _'Maybe we should stop with the teasing, Cat doesn't seem to see it as a joke? ...And I really don't need one of my friends thinking I'm gay for Jade…or with her in any sort of romantic way. Because I'm absolutely not attracted to or in any way interested in Jade…even with how much fun we have together, even when we're at death's door it would seem… I need to not think about this.' _Tori shakes her head in hopes of driving those thoughts far away,

"…We're just finally becoming friends." Nervously Tori smiles and nods, not knowing that she's conveying her unease right into Cat's eyes.

"If you say so." Cat shrugs, _'I don't think Tori knows her own heart…but if I tell her that she might get mad, so I believe I'll keep it to myself...for now.' _She really wasn't comfortable with keeping so much rattling around in her head but she would for her friends.

"I do." Tori nods …Funny, she says the same exact thing in ten years when she's standing across from Jade…

* * *

**AN:** I swear to God I tried not adding that last line…but Dread overrode me… :{)

It was about time for Cat to get more 'face' time, plus some Cori friendship. Opinions on the interaction or my version of Cat? …then review, Dreadlings. (If Gaga can have 'monsters' then Dread can have dreadlings…not that anybody wants to be an agent of Dread, just thought I'd make the offer.)

**NC:** .38 special.

-May Dread watch over you- (regardless of your affiliation to our administration of dread and all dread accessories)


	38. 38 Special

**AN:** To those wondering about the title: How often does a story actually make it to 38 chapters?

Some more Tori and Cat, and Jade and the guys… (sorry about all the fluff, it's rather addictive to write)

* * *

Tori and Cat continue to follow the trail leading away from the main range. Several minutes into the thickening forest now devoid of target dummies, Cat asks,

"Tori?" As she walks closer to Tori. Noting the distance between them Tori turns her head slightly to look back as she keeps walking,

"Yeah, Cat?"

"Where are we going?" She asks a tad bit uneasy about the forest, considering her last experience with one she had more than the right to be so.

"Just taking a look around…" She then stops and turns around to face the redhead,

"Unless you need to go back?" Cat merely smiles sweetly,

"No, I'm fine. I was just curious about where we're going." Tori turns back around and takes notice of some light coming from the path ahead. Quickly striding into the light,

"…apparently another range." They step out onto a small cliff with a stone wall around the edge. After noticing that the targets were about a hundred feet away to start and kept going till they hit nearly two miles she figured,

"Rifle, maybe sniper." Looking down at the distant targets, which were in a far less dense part of the forest, Tori gets an idea, but turns to face Cat before she does anything,

"….Do you mind if I fling a few fireballs?"

"No, I kind of like the way they shine." Cat grins. Tori smiles back, then turns to face the range,

"_Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu." _The blue orb flies forth, keeping a steady path as it goes for eighty yards before hitting a lone tree. Tori frowns, _'I need to work on my accuracy.'_ But before she can cast another Cat interrupts,

"Oh, poo. I forgot the spells Mr. Cole gave us yesterday." She frowns while trying to search her mind for the spells…but to no avail.

"Spells?" Tori has lowered her left hand and is now looking at the redhead, who gladly informs her friend,

"He gave us these two spells to practice with…one was supposed to be a green light and the other a flashlight-thingy." Tori grins at the descriptions and happily recites the first spell,

"_Arde vejhu deuih torchesa ingneitas buietas _…like that?" The little green flash causes Cat to smile and jump up in joy,

"Yeah! That was must be it." As she points at where the green orb had been. Tori next recites the second spell,

"And this…_Huyet duier torchesa igneitas foluiyo._?"

"It's pretty." Cat stares at the flames dancing about the sphere of golden light. Tori smiles at Cat's reaction… followed by a frown,

"If only I knew how to turn the damn thing off." She eyes the little ball trying to force herself to disengage it.

"Dissatra!" Cat shouts as the word crawls back into her head.

"What?" Surprisingly the surprise from this is not enough to break the spell as Tori looks over at Cat.

"Mr. Cole said that's how you turn it off." She beams as she looks right at Tori.

"Oh, well…'Dissatra'." The dragon-mage repeats the word warily. Not really expecting it to cause the orb to simply blink out of existence, however Tori's face is more smile than face,

"And it's gone, much better than Jade slapping me." Tori instinctively rubs the cheek that took the hit.

"Jade slapped you?" Cat graced a bit of dismay on her own face. Tori motions to the former location of the orb,

"Yeah, so that I could break the spell…but now I have the deactivation code." She smiles at the redhead, who quickly returns to happy.

While tossing a few more fireballs from the sniper's nest Tori made the discovery that the projectiles kept going until they hit something…but were not terribly accurate beyond one hundred yards. They tended to veer left or right after a point.

Cat's own practice yielded a love of three torches dancing about her as she twirled. This left her a little tired when she left them active for too long…the spinning just made her dizzy.

* * *

Back at the main range Robbie had just finished unloading his handgun into a dummy… well, mostly the forest.

"Not bad, Robbie. You only missed nine out of thirteen times." Jade was actually impressed, she had expected Robbie to accidentally shoot one of them.

"Which means I got four hits." He doesn't take the low accuracy score well.

"Could've been as bad as Beck." She smirks as she throws a thumb back at him.

"I've never fired a rifle before." Beck quips at his earlier…mishap.

"And he's never fired a handgun before…but you have…" She looks right at Beck, who rolls his eyes,

"Any particular reason you're targeting me, your boyfriend, instead of Robbie, who you once called as creepy as an entire van full of pedophiles with a bucket of candy?" She grins with her oh so classic smirk,

"Tori isn't here to do it, so someone has to." At the mention of Tori's name Andre notices her absence,

"Hey where is Tori anyway?"

"She went off with Cat, exploring most likely…that or Cat's not much for your boomer." She motions to the grenade launcher before,

"You really should pay more attention to your situational awareness."

"Sorry if the shooting was holding most of my attention." He stares at her flatly. She shrugs,

"Not like it matters now, but in the field you may wish to keep an eye out for creatures dropping down on you or attacking from behind. Not every creature is going to blindly charge at us like a clan of goblins."

"Now, my turn…" Swiftly drawing and charging her handgun in one smooth motion she then empties the clip into a dummy sixty yards out, each hit delivering a lovely 'ting' sound as the round hits the thin metal plate inside the target. She lowers the pistol once it was empty and stands there with a grin,

"Twelve out of twelve… and that how's it's done, children." The others simply stared at her. In truth she hadn't gotten twelve bull's-eyes, just hit the target with reasonable accuracy. Her speed and precision was definitely impressive though as the holes were all very near each other.

* * *

Carrying Cat in a manner all too similar to the way she had carried Jade earlier, Tori makes her way back up the trail toward the others_, 'I really hope this doesn't become a thing…'_ She sighs, then notices something about Cat, as she's cradled in her arms, _'…She's not as warm as Jade…But it does feel nice to carry someone like this, but I have to wonder if it feels better if you're the one being carried?'_ An image of Jade carrying her briefly floats into her mind, before she quickly shakes it away, _'I did not just think that…Not that it was that weird, I mean I did the same for her…it would only be fair after all.' _Tori then nods sharply and heads off at a slightly brisker pace.

She decided not to ask the dizzy Cat what it felt like to be carried about…mostly because that would have made the situation slightly creeper than it needed to be. Of course Cat wouldn't have minded the question, in fact, _'This is really nice. Who knew Tori was so strong? This must be what the girls saved by superheroes feel like. I wonder how fast she can run with me in her arms… Her arms are a little cold though…but her cheeks are a bit red.' _Cat frowns as she looks up at Tori who seems to be having an internal conversation, '_Maybe she has a fever…or is thinking about a cute boy…or Jade._' Cat sighs quietly, '_Probably Jade… I hope they work this…thing out before too long, I don't like the weird energy around Beck, he seems hurt.'_

* * *

"That's not exactly the most practical weapon, especially in tight quarters." Jade lazily motions to Andre after he finishes off his allotment of seven rounds. He nods, shrugs,

"…Still fun, and mine." And smiles as he tightens his grip on the gun.

"Just sayin' that you might want to try a handgun to compliment that beast." She taps the barrel with her knuckles.

"I see your point and shall…but not right now." His smile returns after a bit of contemplation.

"And you?" She looks over to Beck.

"I've got this thing down…and it'll be fine." He pats the gun as he discharges the spent clip.

"Robbie?"

"…I'm getting better, but I doubt you'll be fielding me on the front unless you just need one more gun." Robbie has indeed improved in only his second clip…but given a 30% accuracy rating to start with, well that does leave a lot of room for progress.

"Then I suppose you'll just have to be the tech guy." Jade remarks rather emotionlessly.

"Why?" Despite it being Jade, he was surprised that she'd dismiss him so easily…especially given her recent bouts of 'kindness'.

"Because you shoot like a bitch, and I don't like wasting ammo." She stares him down.

"And Jade is back in full form." Andre comments as he tosses his protective gear back into the chest.

"I can only channel Vega for so long, before I start getting this migraine." Jade smirks as she draws her sword and walks over to the nearest human dummy. Gripping the hilt with both hands she brings the blade down across the dummy…cleanly slicing its upper body off. She felt no resistance as the blade cleaved through the dense fibrous dummy and the thin metal plate inside. The severed part falls to the forest floor. Jade smiles,

"Nice, clean cut." As she's inspecting the damage, tendrils begin to grow out of the lower part of the dummy. They twist and turn until they reform the top half of the dummy…minus the metal plate.

"Interesting…it seems that the dummies are plants. They regenerate after we damage them…if we damage them…" She looks over to the others with a smirk. Their amazement at the plant dummy is only marginally diminished by Jade's remark.

* * *

As Jade is slicing away at a few more dummies Tori, still carrying Cat, reappears onto the main range,

"Hey guys."

"Tor…" Andre's joy at having his friend return is interrupted,

"Why are you carrying Cat?" When he sees the redhead in Tori's arms. Hearing this question Jade halts her fun and confronts the d-mage,

"Yes, _Tori_, why are you _carrying_ Cat?" Her voice is betraying hints of distain that she herself is barely aware of. Thinking that she was just hearing things, Tori answers,

"We had a little spell practice and she wore herself out."

"I'm feeling better now though." Cat remarks with a grin as she dismounts.

"So, you went for a stroll and did a little magic _with_ **Cat**?" Now Jade's voice has hints of envy, as the memory that Tori and her were supposed to do spell practice together. The thought is brief and Jade hardly registers the memory, but her voice betrays her ever so slightly. Thinking that maybe Jade is messing with her Tori disregards the hints,

"Yeah, we found a rifle range down that trail." As she points down the little trail they had just emerged from, then motions to her gun,

"And since this is a short range weapon I figured I'd throw a few fireballs, which tend to fly until they impact something…also not very accurate at range." She smiles as she informs her magic partner about her discoveries.

"So, a rifle and magic range then?" Andre comments as Jade stays silent…with a barely discernable glaze of hurt in her eyes.

"Yeah, which means I have yet to actually fire this thing." She tosses her hand with the tri-barrel in the air as she moves past the table. Holding the gun similarly to the pump from nearly a week prior, she fires the first shot…and very quickly notices the lack of any real recoil. She fights the urge to drop her left hand and fire the two remaining shots as if the gun were a pistol, because it was a shotgun and she shouldn't be able to do that…she really hates having to hide her new abilities from her friends, but continues to do so for Jade's sake.

Firing the last two she brings the gun up to rest on her shoulder as she turns to the others. All three are hits, and fairly close together…not marksman quality by far, but better than all except Jade, who remarks,

"Not bad…but then again you have some experience with shotguns already." Her voice has returned to a much more playful flavor. Trying to defend her natural skill Tori retorts,

"Once, I fired a shotgun till it emptied…not exactly skeet champion of the world." She smirks at the d-knight.

"Yet each round hit the target." Jade smirks.

"I'm fifteen yards away, if I didn't I'd be concerned." Tori states drolly as she points at the target.

"Which is the range at which you'll be using that piece, Mystic Tori." Jade wins as she thoroughly confounds the d-mage, who truly wasn't sure what the point of the argument was…but was fairly certain that Jade had somehow switched sides.

Trying to move past the confusion Tori inquires,

"And how was the practice?" Jade snickers for a second knowing that she had Tori square, but decided to move on,

"Robbie isn't as bad as I thought he'd be…still god awful, but…" She lets Tori fill in the appropriate adjective for his skill level.

"Andre? Beck?"

"Beck…shoots like a bitch." At the comment he sneers slightly, but doesn't speak. Jade chuckles,

"And Andre…well, it's hard to miss with a grenade, but he found a few ways." Andre rolls his eyes.

"And you?" Tori looks back at Jade, who grins as she winks.

"…sorry I asked." The d-mage sighs as the d-knight grins a little more.

* * *

**AN: **To those of you wondering what Cat will be doing in terms of the group fighting monsters: I'm leaning toward more of a 'not on the battlefield, but instead back at home base awaiting their return with med kits, food, a listening ear, and more than likely a change of clothes, and possibly bringing any weapons, ammo, or equipment they might need from said home base' type of role. But I'm fairly open to suggestions, so send them in if you don't like my idea. :{)

_Precision = ability to hit with consistence, grouping_

_Accuracy = ability to hit the intended target within a limited margin of error _

**NC:** Dream Kiss _(you read it right)_

-May Dread watch over you-


	39. Dream Kiss

**AN:** I was actually referring to the gun, .38 Special, not the ammunition for a .380 caliber rifle: The .38 Special **was** the official police issue revolver used as their sidearms until they switched to the glock. (in the US anyway) Furthermore the '.' or 'point' before 38 is for diameter of the proper caliber, .38 inches, of the proper ammunition that it fires (but again it can still fire .357 rounds, the difference is minutre and the casing is the same for both rounds). Of course in casual conversation the 'point' is left off because it's implied…so it should have been read '38 Special' not 'point 38 Special'… I guess **My bad**, sorry about that.

Cat is unaware of Jade's dreams…they are only in Jade's head. But Cat does… sorry, that comes later. :{)

I'm not really a fan of these 'guest reviews', mostly because I have to wait till the next chapter to answer any questions or address things like the title…apparently. But hey, if that's how you guys want to do this then that's cool…

Now enjoy.

* * *

The rest of the day ended without much incident as they stowed their new weapons back in the armory. Andre was nowhere near comfortable having a grenade launcher anywhere near his grandmother and Beck was not really up for having to explain an assault rifle to anyone. Robbie had no place to hide his pistol…not that Jade or Tori would have let him take it anyway. However, the tri-barrel did find itself in the trunk of Jade's car…with a box or two of dragon-slayer 10 gauge shotgun ammo and those may have been joined by a box of were-slayer 10mm pistol ammo and one katana from the era of the warring states.

The group had spent a little time in the study, learning a little more about this and that but nothing of terrible importance except that sewer trolls were basically an infestation in most larger sewer systems dating back to the days of ancient Rome. Troll hide could shrug off all but the sharpest blades, most physical attacks, and a fair bit of magic, making them hard to kill. Intelligence wasn't something they lacked, they were about as smart as an average human, but they were very territorial…making them confrontational. However, due to the fact that their presence usually decreased the rat population, which was one of their favorite foods, and the spread of disease, due to the rats not being alive to carry parasites or fleas. These reasons made _most_ leave them be…but not all.

Unfortunately Jade and Tori missed Mr. Cole, as he had already retired for the night. So they would have to delay their magic talk until later.

* * *

While Jade was off talking to Dan about Blood Creu Tori was placing the katana and the tri-barrel in the trunk of Jade's car,

"I almost forgot about the pump." Picking up the first gun she ever fired she rolled it in her hands before returning it to the trunk, _'I'm sure Jade won't mind the extra gun.' _Before she departs for home.

_9Dread9_

Arriving at home while her parents were out to dinner, Tori is greeted by her sister,

"So, how was the drive?" Staring daggers into her from the couch.

"Alright. How's the throat?" Tori grins. Trina deepens the stare as she spits out the words,

"I'll live no thanks to your demon girlfriend."

"I was referring to the choking on food." Tori states flatly as she walks over.

"Well, I'm talking about the woman-handling." Trina crosses her arms and stares at the TV. Tori sighs,

"Sorry, there was no reason for her to be so aggressive with you…but you were being a wee bit bitchy." Trina huffs,

"…Fine, I'm sorry. It's just that you're keeping something from me…and all I see is you and Jade acting…" Tori cuts her off right there,

"And that's all it is, acting. We are not in lesbian relationship. We are not dating. And aside from a few bad jokes are not attracted to each other." Now Tori huffs as she drops to the opposite end of the couch. The 'aside' comment does draw a look born of confusion and accusation on Trina's face,

"Uhm…?" Not actually facing Trina, Tori rolls her eyes and begins with something that probably should have stayed in her head,

"Sure she's pretty, intelligent, strong willed, a complete smart-ass, and she has a heart of gold under a few gallons of darkness, but that doesn't mean I…" She cuts herself off as she looks over to her sister just when she was about to drive home the point, for Trina was staring at her funny. Tori returns the look,

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Trina repeats the list, sort of,

"Attractive, intelligent, determined, funny, and caring with a dark mysteriousness…that sounds like your dream date. If she were a guy you'd have trouble talking to her." Trina laughs at that fact. Tori scowls,

"But she isn't a guy…she is very much a girl. Her pillowy boobs make that very clear." The last bit leaves an afterthought, _'Did I just call Jade's twins pillowy? And now did I just refer to them as 'twins'? …I'm not thinking straight.' *_… (mhahhaha) …*

"So you check her out?" Trina hides her smirk.

"No, I fell asleep on one of them…" Tori can't believe she just blurted that out to Trina of all people. It's getting harder for Trina to fight the smirk,

"And why were you sleeping on her breast?" Tori sighs,

"…A really bad attempt at messing with her."

"So, you try to mess with her and end up sleeping with her?" Trina is losing to a smirk as she furthers her inquiry.

"We were actually sleeping." Tori states matter-of-factly.

"Yet, you were still together." The smirk is finally plastered across Trina's face.

"Are you trying to say that I'm attracted to Jade?" Tori scowls as she barks at her sister, who answers with a question,

"Are you?" Tori tries to answer the question with a question as well,

"Am I?" But Trina just stares back at her, wordlessly. The d-mage surrenders,

"No, I'm not attracted to Jade, in any way." Trina is not giving up that easily on this hunt for answers,

"Okay, how much time did you spend with her a week ago?" She asks in a more friendly tone.

"Some, at school, with friends." Tori shrugs.

"And yesterday?" Sighing Tori rises from her seat and paces a little,

"…So what if we spent almost the entire day together? We became friends after a few heart-to-hearts about why we didn't click." She stops and looks right at Trina.

"From her hating your very being to sleeping in your bed while you shower, oh yeah that's normal." Trina's sarcasm is not well received,

"I don't like your insinuation." As Tori crosses her arms.

"Then you have two options; A) prove me wrong, or B) date her." Trina offers flatly.

"A…like that was a tough choice." Rolling her eyes Tori starts to walk away…but is drawn back in by Trina's semi-psychoanalytical question,

"And why did you feel the need to add that if it was so easy?" Tori turns around and eyes Trina dead,

"You need to stop reading online physic blogs and stop watching so many TV therapists."

"Getting defensive, and redirecting frustration. Interesting." Trina narrows her vision.

"Stop pho analyzing me." Anger graces the younger Vega's voice.

"Then admit the truth." Trina states smugly.

"The truth is that I'm not interested in this conversation right now, because you refuse to listen to the truth." Tori storms off with that last remark left in the air, '_Like she knows what she's talking about.'_

Tori forces any other thoughts about Trina's conversation and Jade out of her head as she catches up on her sleep… well, she got rid of Trina, but Jade was a whole other matter entirely…

* * *

Jade's talk with Dan yielded a brief answer,

"_As long as it's just you two, you'll have no trouble getting in."_

So she figured that was that and headed home after confirming with Tori that the weapons were in the trunk.

_9Dread9_

At the West residence Jade enters to the annoying yapping of a certain tiny dog.

"Now that's a trick you have to teach me." Jade's little brother looks over as the little dog runs as it sees her come through the doorway.

"It's not a trick it just fears me." She grins as the little canine cowers under the coffee table.

"He didn't used to." He raises an eyebrow as he looks at her.

"He learned his lesson the last time I almost stepped on him." She raises her boot near where the lapdog is under the table. Jade's step-mother enters the room, quickly moving over to the table and scooping up the shivering pooch,

"You wouldn't step on my poor baby." She begins to scratch his head as she whisper in his ear.

"You're right I would mess up my boot." As her step-mother's face goes into a lovely shocked expression Jade grins as she turns and ascends to her room.

_9Dread9_

A while later her little brother enters the room with a plate of food in one hand. Jade hides a thin grin as she watches him with the tiger standing on the ceiling just above him. Apparently War-tigers had the unique ability to manipulate gravity fields, to a degree that allows them to walk on any surface of sufficient mass; like ceilings, walls, the sides of buildings or moving trucks …but not fly.

As he sets the plate down she castes the cat a flash of a stern look, before smiling at her brother,

"Thanks."

"No problem, you've been missing more than a few meals lately." His eyes show concern for his older sister.

"Yeah, not really hunger. There's this play at school that's…still in development and it's supposed to be ready for Halloween. It's kind of stressful." She lays back on the bed with a hand on her forehead.

"Sure, if you say so." He grins slyly. Jade can feel the grin and detects the undertones in his voice, so she sits up,

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eyeing him intently.

"You've seemed different lately…nowhere near as mean to start with and you seem happier too." He smiles.

"You really shouldn't complain about good things…" She looks for something, anything to throw at him…she sees the plate of food,

"They have a way of going bad quick." As she tosses the plate at him…but he catches it in a weird spin of his hands that spares any of the food from hitting the floor or him,

"And your back… But, whatever is making you happy…keep doing it, sis." He swiftly departs with the food, leaving Jade a little awed, _'fast hands…he's been practicing._'

"Great, so my little brother is responding to the Tori corruption…Vega, Vega, Vega…ah, fuck it. It's Tori and I'll probably start calling her that every time I talk about her…not that I plan on…" She cuts herself off and looks up at Edaj,

"So, I've befriended Tori, and am going to be hanging around her for a few centuries, so nothing weird about that." Edaj drops from the ceiling without a sound, as she gentle braces on her paws.

"I'd say this can't be real, but we're way past that aren't we?" After shaking her head a few times she looks over at Edaj, who nods sharply.

"At least I have someone who gets the 'I'm not crazy, but am' thing." She grins. Edaj drops her head. Jade sighs,

"And you really don't want to hear me whine about Tori, do you?" The black cat looks her right in the eyes, then leaps onto the bed and lays down beside her.

"Fine…" Jade starts scratching her head, and she begins to purr. After a few minutes Jade yawns,

"I hate being tired. Those two naps earlier were wasted on the target practice…oh, well." Yawning she gets dressed for bed and slips in carefully, as to not disturb the already sleeping tigress.

* * *

_Seven days had passed as they pursued the Jade Empress and now the captain was heading off after receiving a message tied to a crow of perfect black. They had only to slightly alter their course to accommodate the message._

'_Where are you going?' Vega asks as Captain Weston is about to board a dingy and head for the port just a league away. He turns to her,_

'_King Blood has requested my presence. I'm sorry but the king is not refused. You shall proceed to the Blood Court and once there ask for the favor of Princess Blood. Then you will captain this ship in pursuit of Lady West.' Before she can say anything, Vega is interrupted by Mr. Harris,_

'_I wouldn't protest, ma'am. He has already decided, and almost nothing can change his mind once it is.' _

'_But…?' Her concern is not met at the man leaps down to the tiny boat and begins rowing toward shore, by himself._

'_Shall we depart, Acting-Captain Vegaria?' Mr. Harris asks the stunned girl. But she snaps back,_

'…_Yes, we must rescue Lady West.' Harris turns to the crew and barks,_

'_You heard the Captain, we are to make for the Blood Court. We have a date with the princess, and after, some filthy rogues to kill!' That last remark incites the men to move a little faster as they begin murmuring of what they'll do to the scum._

'_What's a rogue?' She knew what a rogue was, but given the context and the mentioning of pirates she required more information._

'_Pirates who aren't aligned to one of the pirate courts.' He answers as they make their way to the helm._

'_Uhm…?' She had never before in her life heard of the pirate courts…of course the sea made her sick as a dog, usually…ever since the attack her mind had been too preoccupied to even consider vomiting. _

_Harris takes a deep breath and begins,_

'…_Pirates have kings just like on land. These kings have territories with their own laws and fleets to enforce them. The rogues freely travel through these territories, but can't pillage the king's ships or those of his allies. The Maria Rae is a Blood ship and Captain Weston one of the Blood captains.'_

'_He's a pirate?' She stares at him dead. He smiles,_

'_We all are…and soon, so shall you as well.' He points at her, then resumes his duties._

_9Dread9_

_Aboard the Jade Empress, Lady West is laying back on Valentine's bed thinking about a certain brunette, _'It has been a week, Vega. I expected a hastier liberation, so that we might continue what we initiated before these bilge-rats abducted me…'

_A week earlier aboard the Maria Rae:_

'_After Vega's feinting fit she had been placed in the hammock. To make sure that she was indeed fine, Jade decided to stay with her…in the hammock. She lay beside her as she watched the girl sleep. Out of boredom Jade began playing with Vega's bangs, twirling strands around her index finger then letting it fall back flat. This occupied her for far longer than it should have as Vega found herself awoken by strands of her own hair falling on her face, several hours later. As Jade catches her opening her eyes she smiles sweetly,_

'_You're surprisingly beautiful with your hair down, I liked it up, but when it's down it's unquestionably more entrancing.' Vega noticeably swallows a lump in her throat,_

'…_Uhm…thanks, ma'-Jade.' But has enough sense to remember that Lady West prefers Jade, despite the warmth that engulfs her entire side and her own quickening heartbeat._

'_You don't have to be nervous, I won't do anything that'll hurt you, Vega.' Jade begins gently stroking Vega's cheek with back of her fingers. The contact forces Vega's cheeks to flush and her heart-rate to soar. _

'_A-and if I don't want to do anything?' Vega asks nervously as her cheek begins to tingle, but she doesn't try to stop Jade's fingers or attempt to flee._

'_I can tell the difference between fear and hesitation, Vega. And you are far from afraid…so why don't we…' Jade places her lips gently upon Vega's…and the feeling isn't a storm of electricity that makes her knees weak…it's more of a single jolt that awakens something inside each of them. _

_Vega feels her trepidation fade to confidence as Jade deepens the kiss, which Vega begins to return thrice fold. The sensation is like knowing that there's an army of warriors protecting her, that there is nothing is existence that can harm her as long as she's kissing Jade, who herself thought this was going to be a passionate affair of sex and pure physical pleasure… _

_But found herself more enveloped by the comfort of being attached to this lowly servant girl, the feeling flooding her was so very foreign to her…so far beyond what she feels when she kisses others. For it was like resting on a calm island in a hurricane, the world could be burning down around them and they would never know… _

_Which isn't a good thing, because as soon as the kiss was broken,_

'_We're under attack!' Several sailors were screaming just outside the door.'_

_9Dread9_

Returning to the Empress:

_Jade closes her eyes, allowing a few tears to fall, _'Damn it, I despise crying…and I'm crying because of a single ridiculous kiss… Fine, it was the most fantastic kiss that I've ever had, but be that as it may, weeping? …I'm so pathetic sometimes.' _Jade shakes her head with disdain for such a pitiful display._

* * *

At some point after the dream faded to the deeps of her mind Jade murmurs,

'_Cat…_' With a sneer, then soon after,

'…_Tori.'_ With a smile plastered on her face as she hugs Edaj.

* * *

**AN:** _'Smile, for the one you love is thinking of you too.'-? (If truly unclaimed, LDS)_

Trina finally gets in a few hits…and Tori gets flustered over Jade… (devilish laughter) Maybe Trina ain't so bad after all.

_**DSN:**__ So, opinions on the kiss? Don't bring down too much hate, I ain't terribly good at the romance stuff…but I shall try to improve. _

**NC: **'Howdy' _(You'll see ;{)…)_

-May Dread watch over you-


	40. Howdy

**AN:** Filler and some info… and a Stetson, because they're cool (-11th Doc)

_(Okay, to the guest reviewer that was talking about timelords I wrote this chapter and that respect a week prior to your review, so yeah there's some weird cosmic shit going on here… Or maybe you're the Timelord...which means you already know how this ends…*shhhhhh*don't tell anyone, okay.)_

**Still don't own the show.**

Happy 40th chapter, loyal dreadlings. I hope you appreciate that I enjoy writing this as much as some of you enjoy reading it. ;{)

* * *

The next day at school was a lovely shade of boring filled with a tiny moment that irked Jade to no end,

"_The class has spoken and we will be doing a twist for the Halloween show."_ Sikowitz's words still make her eye twitch as she makes her way to the statue and then the MC with Tori beside her.

"Howdy." Charles greeted them while wearing a brown vest over a dark blue button down with dark brown cowboy boots, a long duster and a Stetson, and of course pants to match the ensemble. At his sides were a single shot pistol and a tomahawk, with a bow and quiver of arrows on his back.

"Howdy?" Jade eyes his attire questioningly, her agitation at the day's news extinguished by the apparel. Tori also had a thought on the clothing, _'I kind of like that hat and vest…and that duster and those boots would look pretty good on Jade, if they were black.'_ …which she kept firmly to herself.

"Sorry, I was just reliving a bounty, from back when I was a human bounty hunter." He snaps his fingers and returns to his expedition garb, but keeps the Stetson and tomahawk...he never really was normal.

"How old are you?" Jade narrows her eyes as the question fills the empty white expanse.

"One hundred and eighty-five." He answers flatly as he materializes a chair from the penthouse library.

"Not as old as I thought you'd be." With a mild look of disappointment Jade joins Tori in closing her eyes as she finishes. The empty white retakes the visage of the library.

"I get that more than I should." He smiles as he leans back in his seat.

"So bounty?" Tori had actually been kind of interested in hearing about why he was wearing his earlier outfit. He draws the tomahawk and begins twirling it into the air and catching in his hand,

"Just some low life trapper who killed a few natives...it wasn't a proper US government bounty, seeing as what would become Montana wasn't exactly a hot bed for settling. But the local tribe offered, so I took it." He shrugs as he keeps spinning and catching it with ease. Neither girl speaks as they expect him to resume as if it was an important hunt of some kind…so he does add a little more to clarify,

"It wasn't anything tricky…just a nice old memory of me being young and human." He catches the tomahawk one last time, then returns it to his side.

"How long have you been a dragoon?" Tori wasn't sure if the dragoonification made you age slowly or not at all, so she asked this question as a lead.

"One hundred and fifty-two years." He nods with a smile. Having a similar thought as Tori, Jade follows up by asking the actual question,

"So does that mean we'll look like this for a thousand years?" She has a perplexed expression on her face…on the one hand she has no problem being young for centuries, but isn't keen on being as young as she is for a millennia. He eyes them for a second,

"You two are about sixteen, so no. You'll keep aging until you hit twenty-five, then stop aging for nearly a thousand years. It has to do with human physiological maturity, not terribly important." He waves off any further questions into the specifics of the how and why.

"I suppose that means we'll have to change identities every now and again?" Thinking very logically Jade begins pondering what she'll call herself in thirty or so years.

"Yep, but I can help with that…seeing as I'll be free by the time you need the help." He catches the look on Tori's face,

"And yes even after I'm freed you'll still be scaly."

"So several lifetimes of scaly-skin?" The d-mage almost pouts, not that she'll mind the extra few years…it's just the concern of going brute.

"Yep."

"Well, what exactly are we supposed to be doing?" Figuring this is as good a time as any Jade picks another nugget off of the Sunday tea list. He finally leans forward,

"…Nothing really, Drum just wants another dragoon _or two_ to be around." Then shrugs again as he materializes a toothpick to chew on. Disregarding his action Tori smiles weakly,

"So, we could just live normal lives?" Not that she would ever let a monster kill someone if she could help it.

"Theoretically, yes. But practically, no. You could live a normal life as an actress, singer, writer, or whatever else, but as you live you will find yourself drawn to battle and evil-slaying. It's the fire of justice burning within your souls." He sits up straighter as his voice increases in volume and presence.

"Okay, flaming justice. Got it." Jade nods, while fighting a snicker. Slouching back into the seat he half-grins,

"Sorry, I usually give these speeches at the graduation ceremonies for the new legionaries. …But back to your question. No, normal is not in your futures."

"So exactly how do we hunt?" Tori leans forward a little hoping that there is an actual plan and they don't have to stumble about killing things as they simply get attacked by them. He pauses to consider his answer, then smiles,

"…police scanners are usually helpful." They silently stare at him. He sits up a little straighter,

"…The idea is to deal with monsters that are causing problems, which usually get reported as odd crimes or strange murders. So, you listen in and deal with the problem before law enforcement or any more civilians get hurt." He clasps his hands together on the table as he awaits the questions.

"But won't other hunters already be on it?" Jade fully considers the fact that some hunter orders seem to be well established, like the Legion, and figures that they should have sufficient numbers to deal with any monster problems. He grimaces,

"…depends. There aren't as many of as you might think. The Legion does have a literal army…scattered across the entire planet. And the other orders don't have very many members period." He rests his hands back on the table after a small flurry of hand gestures to emphasize his discourse.

Having fully surrendered to the fact that she will be hunting Tori tries to ask how they will actually go about hunting,

"And how…?" But she has trouble finding the exact words.

"Investigate the crime scene, gather clues, interview witnesses, research creatures or monsters that have a similar MO, and finally kill the bastard." He states with a grin.

"Wow, so we will be detectives…how peculiar." Jade looks over to Tori, recalling their bouts of pretending to be Watson and Holms. Tori sighs,

"Guess I'll be following in my father's footsteps…I suppose acting, singing, and generally everything I learned at Hollywood Arts is now useless." She drops her head, not that she hated her father's work…but that was the last thing she thought she'd be doing given her recently discovered vocal talent.

"Not necessarily." Tori brings her head up at his words. He half smiles and continues,

"You'll have to pretend to be cops more often than not to do the interviews with witnesses and gain access to the crime scenes. And Dan can help you pursue your music careers."

"Dan?" Tori asks with obvious surprise. Charles grins,

"He's one of the biggest names in the creature rock world, literally a monster rock star." Jade quips,

"I suppose that explains his strange personality." Charles starts laughing heartily as he nods, unable to actually form the words to agree. He knows exactly what she's talking about…though gets the feeling that they've only seen the surface of the iceberg that is Dan.

Once Charles stops laughing Tori has a gnawing question that she figures she might as well ask,

"So what about your book?" Recalling rather easily the strange symbols and weird language. She had wanted to ask in previous Councils but was easily waylaid by other topics, but wasn't going to be this time…despite how interesting the Dan development was.

"Are you referring to the one you two are keeping safe for me? Because that happens to be the journal, dragoon guidance manual, and spell book of **my** dragoon instructor Thomas Maylord." He smiles knowing full well where she's going with the inquiry.

"Why can't we read it?" She feels that the book will be invaluable to them, so needs to know if it's something she can research, or will she need years of language studies to crack it.

"Because that psycho wrote it in the script of the angels and then in the tongue of the Gods." Charles's voice bares no real love for his instructor in the field of Dragon-kin.

"Psycho?" Jade grins.

"He's obsessed with the notion that Frost Giants are going to invade from northern Canada." He finishes while shaking his head lightly.

"Wow, that's…uhm…" Tori's not exactly sure how to process that one. He nods,

"Crazy? Yes, I know. But he was fairly good at the instructing while he was sane. Then a really good instructor as long as the subject matter was Nordic mythos and their specific creatures. Now he's in Canada somewhere preparing for the invasion…at least he's not hurting innocent people I suppose." His voice did bear some respect for him, and he was glad that Thomas wasn't being a nuisance or threat to anyone…except invading Frost Giants, for he knew full well what would happen if he was…

"Is it common for a dragoon to go insane?" Jade inquires jokingly…but Charles answers dead seriously,

"…Unfortunately, yes. No dragoon has ever completed their contract with Drum, to my knowledge. We either go insane, become a threat, and then are executed by an archangel…or die in battle." This brings a ghastly frown onto both Jade and Tori's faces,

"Why?" He leans forward with a grave expression on his face as his voice becomes more solemn,

"Living for far longer than we are supposed to puts a fair bit of strain on the mind, especially going for centuries and never actually stopping evil…only slowing it down. After a point, they simply snapped under the pressure… and we are very dangerous, so the archangels stop us from hurting too many people." He keeps his eyes on them in order to judge their reactions.

"So why bother at all?" Jade sets back in her seat as she casts out the question with a sneer. He looks over to her with a kind smile and tone,

"Because I've saved more people than I can count…and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon."

"I'm sure they all said that at some point." Jade bites again. His smile deepens a little,

"Maybe, but several went for as long as I have left on my contract before they went mad, so I figure I have a long while to go and a lot of lives to save before I'm loopy."

"Rather optimistic of you." Jade's tone is far less harsh, but still slightly biting.

"You'd rather I be crazy now?" He smirks. Jade drops her eyes to the table,

"…no." He chuckles,

"Besides maybe I'll make it to the end of the rainbow and find the elusive pot-o'-whatever the hells at the end, or maybe you two will. We'll just have to drudge on to find out."

"I'm sure we have more time, but can we end this early?" Jade asks seeing Tori's face.

He grins thinly as he places his hand to his throat and clears it to summon his old Montana drawl,

"See ya'll 'round, ya' hear." Then takes off and waves his cowboy hat. They both return the thin smile as they disappear.

* * *

"You shouldn't have told them that." The voice from before fills the study.

"Concerned about them, Mike?" Charles smirks. The voice pauses before answering,

"…Yes." Which causes Charles to chuckle,

"Good, that will make things more worthwhile." The voice sighs,

"When I was assigned as your guardian I assumed that since we are both generals it would be easy to understand you. But I was wrong."

"Your big brother would purify all evil in the universe to hear those words." Charles's smirk returns tenfold.

"I'm sure he would, _Chuck_." The voice obviously isn't very comfortable speaking his name so informally, but tries anyway to get back at him for 'Mike'.

"Better, Mike, much better." Charles chortles as he shifts the visage to something more to his visitor's liking…the Sisteenth Chapel.

* * *

"I'm glad you didn't actual ask him if he thought we are a couple." The d-knight looks over to the d-mage, trying to lighten the mood. Tori half-grins,

"Because that wouldn't have been awkward out the ass." She tries the mask the strain in her voice, but Jade senses it and redoubles her efforts,

"Because I know, for whatever reason, you really wanted to know what he thought of us. And I appreciate your self-control." Unfortunately, her eyes are softer than usual, not pathetically soft but still softer…as if her body wasn't listening to the tone she had in her head. Tori, who had very much expected some teasing at her own expense, was very surprised by Jade's somewhat sporadic choice in deep personal moments,

"…This is already starting to feel more heart-to-heart than I'm sure you're comfortable with…" So she tries to change the subject because she herself doesn't want to deal with the deep stuff; primarily her potential insanity right this moment…but she is interrupted by Jade speaking kindly,

"…Tori, I-I like the heart-to-hearts, they're…nice." Jade's smile is kinder than any she has expressed in many years. She had surrendered to her body's lead and given up on trying to change the subject and instead was trying to get Tori to deal.

Tori says nothing as she embraces Jade in a mighty d-mage hug, for she couldn't really hold back the thoughts in her head, _'I'm going to go insane, literally insane. Then be killed by an Archangel… And I need a serious hug right now…' _

Despite Jade's general distain for this type of human contact her smile deepens,

"_Okay, Tor."_ She returns the hug, _'Damn you Weston, this is you!' _Her angry thought of what Weston's reveal is doing to Tori is pushed aside by another thought,_ '…but it's so nice, it's wrong to be enjoying this, but I can't help it. Damn it Tori. Why do your hugs have to be so pleasant? …if this keeps up my icy heart will melt and I'll start helping old ladies cross the street. Damn you Tori.' _Jade tightened the hug a little finding it difficult to even thing of abandoning it…especially since her friend needed it.

Tori thoroughly enjoyed the contact, because she was hugging someone who would not let go, even if Death came calling. She was embracing a vice grip hug that could soak up all her negative emotions and pain leaving her with that warm and fuzzy feeling as she hugged a little tighter…

The thoughts of her going truly crazy start to fade as the hug makes her start convincing herself that regardless she would do good, _'I can't just give up because in several hundred years I __**might**__ go insane, there are people out there that will need me to keep going…besides I could end up making it to the end of the rainbow, with Jade…'_ She begins smiling as the hug tightens a bit more…if either had been human they would have already had their spines crushed by the force being exerted.

* * *

The others had decided to wait outside in the parking lot, mostly because it was kind of creepy to watch them standing there with the blank stares on their faces as they 'talked to the boss'. It was probably a good thing for Beck to not see just how much closer Jade and Tori were getting …figuratively and literally as it would seem.

* * *

**AN:** So did you enjoy the hug scene at the end? For whatever reason it felt oddly right…but I doubt y'all will agree, so do tell me what you reckon. (In a lovely southern drawl)

_**P.S.:**__ I have officially closed my DM poll, Emily Grey has been reassigned to a less desirable post…and is evil, it was a tie. Thanks for your votes. …I do have a new poll about a new story I'm working on, so give it a gander, please and thank you. (Dread promotes good manners.)_

_Strange Thoughts: Vega Texas Ranger/West Texas Ranger. (Think about it) …ooh, Tori the Courier and Jade the Lone Wander, or vice-versa. _

**NC**: 'Dr. Andre Phil'

-May Dread watch over you-


	41. Dr Andre Phil

**AN:** Now I get to apologize for not being on this site at all from the 15th till now. I'm sorry to the infinite power of eternity, …I sort of went on an **impromptu** (unplanned) vacation and didn't take my thumb-drive, laptop, or even write a single thing while I was gone, sorry, but it is summer and I love me some **_redacted_…**not that I'll tell you identity thieves which **_redacted_** that would be. Let's just say **_redacted_,** so let that be my punishment. I am still incredibly sorry I didn't leave a little note saying I was going to be gone.

What drives the dragoons crazy is already in the reviews, awesome thoughts guys.

When dragoons go crazy they also turn rather evil...So ultimately no they do not get into to heaven. Also dragoons have a tendency to be rather antisocial (Weston is a freak of nature; 1/1000000), which certainly doesn't help the isolation thing.

I would also like to thank **soth13** for the idea for a scene in this chapter… Thank You.

* * *

Given that the Hug worked its voodoo magic and got Tori to buck-up, Jade gladly pretended it never happened as they headed off to their HQ.

Entering the Bulltermark's lobby a thought occurs to Tori, so she simply looks over to Jade, and asks,

"You know what we really need?"

"What do we really need?" Jade asks, fighting the urge to snicker at the completely ridiculous question.

"An app for monster data." The d-mage grins.

"An app?" The humor is gone as Jade needs clarity on what could either be supremely stupid idea or a flash of brilliance.

"Yeah, you know, something that allows us to check our phones for data on monsters…instead of reading every single book in the library." Not that she hated the books, but this is the 21st century.

Before Jade could comment on the idea James intercedes,

"Already done."

"Huh?" They both look over to the ex-Legate. The others simply remain listening intently.

"Charles already had the cyber division create a program that can be uploaded to your phone…if you happen to have the special software and hardware to connect to the Legion Data Network, or LDN." He states without ever looking up from his pearpad.

"LDN?" Tori asks warily.

"It's the Legion's own special communications and information network, like a secret internet." He looks up smiling.

"…And I suppose you have to be a member of the Legion to have access?" Jade figures given the name. He thinks about the best way to answer,

"…Not necessarily. But it would make it a whole lot easier."

"So…?" Tori happy to have the tech.

"…Here, I'll put in the order for a few custom phones…and pearpods." He goes to work placing the order…then stops and looks over to them,

"I'm assuming this is going on the boss's account."

"I'm sure he'll be alright with it…when he gets back." Jade grins devilishly. James laughs as he finishes up the requisition order.

"I'm glad the boss likes to use tech." Tori isn't too shocked given the appliances and consoles, and is rather happy that Weston does utilize it more practically in combat as well. James confirms these thoughts,

"He's all about adding newer equipment when it proves beneficial. Upgrade or die." Jade frowns slightly,

"Unfortunately that's probably a lot more truth than simple proclamation."

"Yep, more often than not." James graces a few incidents that could have gone a shit load worse if it hadn't been for Charles's desire to keep the Legion at optimal functionality with better equipment when available.

"James, about these spells…" Tori motions to Cat, thanking creation that Cat had provided an easy in for her asking about magic. James simply explains that there is a section in Weston's book that has the five Legion spells, then what each does…

* * *

Now that Jade has established the three areas of their training; shooting, fighting, and reading…at least until the phones and pearpods showed up, the group moves off to take care of the three at their leisure. Jade remains in the study with Cat and Robbie, neither of which felt terribly comfortable on the range for their own reasons so they decided to take it easy and research a few of their curiosities. The d-knight keeps the archive locked down to keep him from the dragoons' section…but is far from bored as she herself dives into researching various curiosities that jump into her head. She hates not being on the range, but doesn't mind toying with the archive…at least until she asks Weston about a means of locking out certain sections.

Sitting at the table Robbie finally garners the courage to ask,

"Hey, Jade, why aren't you at the range?" Internally noting that she had been rather happy with the arsenal and the range itself.

Jade smirks as she turns the chair around,

"Trying to get rid of me so you two can make-out?" Robbie's eyes go wide,

"NO-no, no…of course not, why would you ask that?" His voice is almost demanding, which is countermanded by his red cheeks.

"Because I wanted you to experience a stupid question. And now you have." Jade's casual answer brings a giggle out of Cat.

"Seriously, why?" In a huff Robbie asks as he feels the flush on his cheeks fading.

"Because Tori and I spend too much time together as it is." She offers as she spins back around to the archive.

"What?" Robbie's confusion is met with Jade disregarding him ever speaking, as she adds,

"Sure I like being around her, but it's nice to be with other…_friends_ too." She sneers slightly at Robbie and Rex…as well as at the thought of Cat and Tori yesterday, _'Tori still owes me some spell time, alone …because we're the only ones out of the group that can wield magic at our level.'_ She rushes the last reason as she forces herself back to the conversation…that seems to still be going on.

"And what about Beck?" His question causes Jade to turn back around,

"What about him?" With her own confusion as she turns back around to face them.

"Isn't he your boyfriend? Shouldn't you be training with him?" Rex asks as he motions to the lack of the individual in question.

"Training and dating aren't something I want to mix more than necessary. In fact if it wasn't for the goblin incident I wouldn't have him here at all." Jade's tone marks her distain for having him find out so soon.

"You wouldn't have told us?" Cat asks, not sure if she'd like the 'not knowing about monsters' thing or not. Jade answers matter-of-factly,

"Nope, I'd much rather be training without having to worry about you guys."

"You worry about us?" Robbie smiles innocently. Whereas Cat simply smiled, already knowing that Jade did care…somewhat.

"Mostly about you shooting one of us, or detonating something in the armory." She motions to the unsealed room to her right.

"…Sounds like you just wanted all this to yourself." Rex accuses.

"I wouldn't have been the only one, genius." Jade's all too happy to remind the dummy of that hard fact.

"Oh yeah, you and Tori hanging out together all the time…are you sure you wouldn't rather be _down on _the range with a certain brunette?" Rex's insinuation is rewarded with Jade raising a hand as if she was going to cast a certain spell,

"Would you like to see my fireball spell up close and personal?" But Rex only pushes the envelope,

"Getting a wee bit defensive aren't we?" The d-knight pauses before grinning,

"…You're a very trying doll."

"Doll!" Rex and Robbie go more or less ballistic. Jade ignores the argument the dopes are mounting and returns to her research.

* * *

Tori keeps an eye on the weapons' range, at Jade's bequest…but she's only joined by Andre. Beck had decided on some solo training in the gym.

"Tori?"

"Yeah, Andre?" She looks over to her friend about to fire a silver 1911 Colt .45 for the first time.

"You and Jade are just friends right?" He doesn't break his focus on the target as he inquires.

"Yeah, why? Is our acting prowess getting too good for you?" She teases lightly.

"It's getting hard to tell what's just play and what's a deep-seated emotional desire to be with the other person in a romantic manner." He looks over for a second before returning to the sights to empty the clip…

"Have you and Trina been watching Dr. Phil together again?" The first time Tori saw the two enraptured in the show she was more than a little surprised. Luckily he stopped watching it for quite some time and she had hoped that he had stopped altogether, but it seems he has taken up the habit again…and quite recently by the sound of things.

"No…maybe a little…" He drops his head,

"…_yes_." His answer is barely a whimper. She scolds,

"You should really stop that, you need a proper degree in psychological analysis before you start diagnosing people."

"Stop redirecting the topic." Andre stares at her narrowly. Tori rolls her eyes,

"…I'm going to tell you what I told my windbag of a sister, 'We are not in lesbian relationship. We are not dating. And…are not attracted to each other.'." She decides that cutting out the exception part is probably wise given what happened last time.

"Yet, she asked you out this Saturday…and you accepted with no resistance. Oh, and the stolen kiss?" The grenadier is all too happy to stare at her accusatorily.

"I kissed her on the cheek to mess with Trina…and the 'date' is just a chance for us to hang out as friends." Tori offers, hoping to quell any further implications of her and Jade's supposed love life…or sex life.

"If you say so… But if she ends up kissing you, I won't be surprised." He smiles as he reloads the gun. Tori stares at him for a second, considering his words more than she should have,

"…Just shoot your gun." Andre laughs, noticing the hesitation, _'I'd make a bet, but it isn't fair if it's a sure thing.'_

* * *

The entries on the screen began to all blur as one as Jade's eyes fell closed,

_At first they were disoriented but the sounds of pistols firing and men screaming swiftly brought them back from their island of peace. They arose from the hammock and were about to hide…when the door burst open and two pirates stepped in,_

'_Now this is a treasure.' The larger one grins as he steps toward Jade, only to have Vega bring a heavy punch across his face. With a bleeding nose he shoves Vega aside with his sword hand, luckily she was so close that it was only the pummel that hit her. The other pirate grabs Lady West as Vega is trying to pick herself up off the floor. The two leave the room with their prize before someone with a sword tries to stop them._

_The second pirate may have been lean, but he was more than capable of holding the squirming Lady West as they made their way all the way up to the deck, where charging from behind Vega rams a sword through his left side. The larger pirate knocks her away before she can draw it free. As she's lying on the ground about to get up he brings his blade across her back._

'_Vegaaaa!' Jade screams as the wounded pirate hands her to the large one as he makes his escape. The wounded pirate catches a bullet to the face once Captain Weston appears on the deck. Jade is dragged onboard the Jade Empress as it makes its escape. But looking back at the ship she sees Vega still moving about, even attempting to stand…_'she'll survive, she'll come for me.' _Jade took solace in that as they sailed away._

_Back in Valentine's quarters: Jade lifts her head with anger, _'I should've fought them, I could've defeated them…but I-I…couldn't take that risk…and now I'm imprisoned here.' _Then she takes a deep breath and a smile of hope forms on her face, '_She will come for me. I know she will.'

_9Dread9_

Jade's dream state was interrupted by Cat shaking her shoulder,

"Jade, are you alright?" The concerned redhead looks down at her groggy friend's face.

"Yeah…just read a little too much…info overload." Jade begins to stretch a little as she rises.

"Maybe you should lie down." Robbie offers, trying to be helpful.

"No…" She yawns,

"I'm fine…just a bit of data strain… But I will be heading to the kitchen for some coffee." She takes off for the special blend awaiting her…but turns on her heels as she points at Robbie,

"Don't bother my searches, I'll be back."

Robbie had no idea why she was touchy about the archive, for when he had tried to access it the day before it wouldn't let him do anything, it said, 'user not recognized.' So, he left it be, assuming that Jade had locked it earlier…she was still a bit of a bitch to him, at least. Jade took the opportunity to move her and Tori's duffle-bags, which they had stashed there the day before, out of the war-room into their respective guest rooms.

* * *

As Tori and Andre were riding the elevator up it stopped off at the gym. As Beck enters Andre inquires,

"Hey, Beck. How was the workout?" Since Andre was at the center of the elevator Beck stands beside him opposite Tori as he answers,

"Relaxing. The shooting?" Andre smiles as he raises the colt,

"Relaxing squared. I'm really surprised your girlfriend didn't join us." He faces forward to allow Tori the opportunity to answer as well…but Beck answers as she remains silent,

"I'm sure she's having her own fun with the archive…or maybe the armory…" Beck notices the look on Andre's face,

"What? You asked, so I answered."

"I kind of expected Tori to answer." He tosses a thumb toward Tori, who offers,

"She is his girlfriend, Andre."

"That hasn't stopped you so far." As he turns to face her with a grin.

"He's been good so I decided not to annoy him more than necessary…Plus Jade's not here, so where's the fun in that?" Smirking she winks at Beck, who shakes his head as Andre snickers.

* * *

**AN**: '_Yeah, there's an app for that.'-?_

Andre, Trina, 'Sex on the beach'… What? We're ordering drinks… perverts.

_**DSN:**__ Too short? There's another one in the next chapter. And if you thought Jade was hiding something you might be right…but that will come later._

Seriously, I was just out camping... But I had to have a little fun with ya', but I am sorry I didn't say anything last chp or on my profile, I always forget something. Sorry again.

**NC: **I'm Going Slightly Mad _(play the song, you know you want to.)_

-May Dread watch over you- and prevent you from harming my person.


	42. I'm Going Slightly Mad

**AN**: _Picked sausages… or butterfly herring? Cat's in the cradle making love to….entry error, error, error, error…while Tori and Jade are…entry error, error, error…Am I mad yet?_

"…" = Tori whispering,

'…' = the voice in her head from the goblin forest, _which is not the same voice as with Charles in any sense really._

This is to prevent even the possibility of confusion :{)

I released this chapter with 41 to apoligize for not posting since the 15th, so if you haven't read 41 yet then you might want to read it before you read this one...otherwise read on, and thank you for reading :{)

* * *

Having reconvened simply to end the day in a more official manner that also insured that no one was going to stay in the penthouse without the others knowing about it, they all scattered for home…

* * *

As Tori lays in her bed with Irot above her head she finds herself in a little bit of a flurry of whispered thoughts,

"_When does one tire of silly pho-lesbian teasing_?" After a short pause she hears the calming second voice from her goblin encounter, _'...The real question is do you want to?'_ More than a little surprised she stares at the ceiling, but keeps her voice low in case her sister is listening-in through to walls,

"…_uhm…kind of. I mean I want to be Jade's friend, but the jokes are going to get old."_ Another pause, _'…Only her friend?' _The voice seems to be more masculine than the last time they spoke, but carries the same tone of calm.

"_Yeah…why?"_ She can feel a smirk…or at least the essence of one in her head, _'…Are you sure?'_

"_Absolutely."_ Tori shivers as the voice's 'smile' deepens, _'…If you say so, then I won't argue with you further…but I have to say you do make a cute couple.'_

Tori releases an exasperated sigh,

"_Great, so even the voice in my head thinks I'm gay for Jade."_ A chuckle floats through her head, _'…I'm not sure why you're fighting what you obviously feel. So what if you like your ex-arch-nemesis who just happens to be a female. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is the second decade of the 21 century is it not?'_

"…_You talk too much."_ Tori huffs, getting rather tired of all the innuendo. She feels a sly smile, _'That wasn't a denial.'_

"_It wasn't a conformation either."_ Her voice graces more agitation, while the voice taunts, _'Still not a denial.'_

Tori's left eye begins twitching as the anger wells,

"…_I'm not attracted to Jade!"_ She grits her teeth. The voice states flatly, _'Lying to the one in your head seems foolish, but this is your mess of a mind.'_

The insult catches her off-guard and costs her her focus,

"_Excuse me?"_ This allows the voice to strike again with a teasing taunt, _'You heard me, your mind is a clutter of random thoughts…and desires.'_

Letting her anger fade, for it has yet to serve her any real purpose she speaks calmly,

"_I'm 100% certain that I have no desires for Jade."_ She crosses her arms with conviction set on her face…but the voice's words change that quickly, _'You look nice in her arms.'_

Tori drops her arms and her face is graced by traces of apprehension,

"_That was a passing curiosity because of previous circumstances." _She tries to rally, but the voice cuts in deeper, _'…Which was?'_

"…_I don't like you."_ She huffs before clenching her teeth and hissing. The voice laughs, _'…The truth hurts.'_

"_The only truth around here is that everyone needs to stop thinking Jade and I belong together as a couple."_ Her anger is returning despite her best efforts to combat it…and the voice doesn't help by fueling the fire, _'…The more people that see it, the more real it becomes.'_

"_It's only real if I want it to be."_ A gracing of logic allows Tori to calm herself a little…but it's incredibly short-lived as the voice asks kindly, _'…Do you?'_

"_NO! I do not want to date Jade. I do not want to be her girlfriend. I do not want to marry her. I do not want to have kids with her…nor could I. Regardless, I do not want to be with Jade West."_ Tori anger has reached its zenith, she could easily say she has never been this anger before and yet still in control of her voice. But the voice is unimpressed by the rage and taunts regardless, _'…I'm sure Lord Weston has a spell that could fix that kids part…as for the rest, try taking out a few 'not's.'_

She tries again to dispel the rage,

"_I don't like you."_ With a heavy sneer. The voice becomes even more playful, _'…You didn't like Jade either, so should I be expecting a ring in my future as well?'_

"…" She only scowls, which the voice happily comments on, _'Scowling doesn't really work on a voice.'_

"…_It makes me feel better."_ Tori offers as her anger begins to fade. The voice is unrelenting, _'Being in her arms usually makes you feel good as well.'_

"…_She's warm."_ She hopes that this change in strategy will get the voice to back off…and it does give it pause, _'Humor, funny.'_

"_I try."_ She smirks. The voice offers the essence of its own smirk, _'You know, humor is often used as a mask to hide deeper personal insecurities and truths that one isn't willing to face.'_

Tori rolls her eyes,

"_I liked you better when you simply talked me out of unnecessary guilt."_ The essence of a smirk becomes more diabolical, _'Who says you aren't guilty about hurting Beck with your love for Jade?_'

"_Me."_ Tori offers with a smile…that causes the voice to surrender, _'…Fine, I'll leave you to your senseless conviction.'_

"_Good riddance…"_ She waits for a response and is glad it never comes. Of course after considering the conversation she sighs,

"_I'm going mad all over again. …I just pray this isn't how one begins a senseless war against Frost Giants… Screw it, if we go crazy at least we'll be doing it together." _The voice returns with a demonic smirk floating through Tori's head_, 'I'm sure you will '_do it'_ together.'_

"_I thought you left."_ Her eye twitches as she looks up toward her own forehead. The voice snickers, _'I was content to, but then you said that and I just couldn't resist… But now, I'm leaving.'_

Tori decides against anymore thoughts until she falls firmly asleep… Irot smiles atop her head as he finally falls asleep.

* * *

With the day done Jade crawls into her bed with Edaj's back up against her and lets her boost from the caffeine begin to burn out in hushed conversation with herself,

"_Maybe I do spend too much time with Tori. And I haven't spent any real time with Beck since the picnic…"_ Edaj nudges her side with the back of her head. Jade shrugs,

"_Then again, I'm just acclimating myself to hanging out with Tori…since we will be together for…ever."_ The fact that she will definitely be spending more time with Tori than Beck sets in…and she smiles,

"_Maybe I should just marry her, have lots of sex, kids…I'm sure there's a spell for that, and live happily forever?"_ She laughs lightly. Edaj smiles to herself as she listens to Jade continue her 'joke'.

"_I do wonder what our kids would look like…as long as they get her cheekbones we'll be good."_ Tori face appears in Jade's mind, which elicits another of her physical traits to pop forth,

"_And her skin is rather nice in complexion as well…maybe her lips? …They have to have my eyes though, brown's nice and all, but our kids will need my unique peepers."_ She smiles to herself as the image of Tori changes the eye color to Jade's own. Several of Jade's own features alter the image until the face in her mind is a rather nice fusion of the two. Jade smiles at the thought of the image until something else graces her mind,

"_Of course then there's the personality…I do hope they borrow from their mage mother, I couldn't stand a Jade clone. I'd drive myself mad…"_ That forces her to think of the last Mind Council,

"_Speaking of mad, I wonder what a crazy Tori would actually be like. If it's anything like what she did to that troll, then they might need another archangel to bring her down…"_ Jade laughs again as she pictures Tori slaying a four-winged soldier of God after ripping off its wings. Edaj rolls her eyes while still facing away from Jade.

Stopping her humorous little fantasy Jade thinks of just how nice things have been since the werewolf attack,

"…_Why is it that if it were anyone else in the world, even Beck, I wouldn't be able to even consider lasting the full thousand?"_ Edaj rolls over tossing a paw on Jade's stomach. Jade giggles,

"…_Best friends are an amazing thing…" _She hugs the tigressas the caffeine burns away, letting her fall asleep.

_9Dread9_

_Off the coast of Portugal inside of a well-guarded cove, defended by a dozen and a half heavily armed galleons all baring the Blood flag. The Maria Rae sails through unaccosted by the fleet. Vega feels more than nervous as they approach the towering stone fortress set inside the cliff face. As they dock at the large harbor setting before the fortress, Mr. Harris hands Vega one of Weston's formal jackets which was definitely too large for her, a large dashing captain's hat, and a silver cutlass adorned with rubies. She doesn't hesitate to dawn the apparel for her meeting with pirate royalty. Many of the merchants and pirates eyed her as they walked toward the fortress, but nearly all bowed as she passed…she nodded to them, fighting her unease._

_Inside the massive elegant grand hall, which could match even the wealthiest king's throne room, they await the princess's arrival. Vega lets her eyes wander the room while standing before the raised platform which held three wooden thrones, decked in gold and blood red. Just as the acting-captain was being mesmerized by the portraits on the back wall a guard announces the entrance of the princess,_

'_Her majesty, Princess Blood.' The well-tanned young woman strode into the room with a disturbing confidence, wearing a gold and red captain's formal suit with the jacket open. She gripped the large ruby set as the pummel of her cutlass as she ascended the platform. Her long black hair tied back in bun bounced lightly revealing several slender throwing knives keeping it in place. _

_With a disturbing grace she drew her blade and pointed it at Vega as her ruby red eyes fell on Mr. Harris,_

'_Mr. Harris, who is this?' Her stern voice matches the numerous scars adorning her hands from years of sword training…and combat as it would seem given the thin scars that also grace her face._

'_The proposed captain of the Maria Rae, ma'am.' He bows his head deeply._

'_And where is Weston?' She eyes him and speaks like a true royal, keeping the blade trained on the girl now kneeling before her._

'_Your father requested him.' At Mr. Harris's answer her demeanor drops to more casual, _

'_I see, but why you, plain one?' She notes the simple clothes underneath the oversized jacket as she drops her sword hand allowing the sword to tap the floor with a gentle 'tink' sound._

'_She is the one that lost a great treasure to the pirates that attacked us.' Mr. Harris has decided to expedite things, so he will avoid Vega's nervous answers and simply answer for her. The princess nods,_

'_I see, then so shall it be that Captain…' She awaits the girl to give her name, which to Harris's surprise she does of her own volition,_

'_Victoria Vegaria, ma'am.' As she rises to meet the princess's gaze. The warrior royal smiles as she raises her voice and lifts her blade to the girl's shoulder,_

'_Captain Vegaria you will now command the Maria Rae as a Captain of Blood. May you retrieve what you seek and those that stole it bleed at your feet.' Vega is about to speak but is silenced by the princess gliding up to her as she drops the blade to the side. Wrapping her free hand around the back of Vega's head the princess captures her lips in a kiss. In this moment Vega can't help but think that the scars on the royal's face are kind of cute, then, _'I wonder if Lady West would think I'd look cute with a few scars?_' She can barely believe she's having such thoughts and can't help the deep red blush that fills out her cheeks._

_The kiss is reasonably brief as the princess steps back and smiles,_

'_Ah, I understand, that is the great treasure that you wish to reclaim. I hope you recover her soon.' She winks at the stunned, furiously blushing captain, who seems to be attracting more female attention than she thought possible. In actuality the kiss was a contract with the Blood that will grant Vega certain privileges and powers. _

_Shaking her thoughts out of her mind Vega nods,_

'_I will, ma'am.'_

'_Then don't dally, I know I wouldn't.' She winks again before she returns to her throne, to actually sit on the horridly uncomfortable thing._

* * *

Inside of Blood Creu, Dan approached the bar with a smile on his face,

"Bella, I nee-could you please add a couple names to the list?" He corrected himself as he recalled the last time he gave the owner an order. The well-tanned younger woman with long black hair turns around with a grin playing on her lips,

"You're catching yourself sooner than usual, you must be in a good mood. And which names?" Rolling a pen between her scarred fingers she fetches a pad from under the counter. His grin doesn't diminish,

"I'm feeling pretty good, Justin's in the band proper. …And the names are 'Tori Vega' and 'Jade West'. They're going to seem really inexperienced…but they're…" He drops his voice as he leans in close to the bar,

"…_dragoons…" _He darts his eyes about to make sure no one else heard him. Bella cocks a thin eyebrow,

"New dragoons?" And stares at him with her ruby red eyes.

"Yeah, as a result of Lord Weston's departure to the unknown." He looks away toward a gorgon waitress pouring another round for a couple of minotaur. Gorgons could easily control themselves when it came to turning people to stone…unless they were cursed like Medusa and her sisters.

Bella sneers,

"Thanks for the warning. I would have been more grateful if you hadn't guided them here though." He turns back to her and smiles more kindly,

"They seem like nice kids…well Tori is, Jade's…a little more…" He takes a few seconds to consider the one called Jade, so Bella interrupts him,

"Dan-like?" He chuckles,

"I suppose." She sighs,

"…fine, but if they break anything or kill anyone, it's on you." She points at him with fire in her eyes,

"The last thing I need is the Legion busting in here because of a dragoon incident."

"They'll be good." Then he adds with a sly grin,

"…As long as no one's stupid enough to hit on Tori, I get the feeling Jade is the **very** jealous type."

"I'll tell the staff to run interference." Pouring herself a drink Bella smiles thinly, _'Great, an actual couple of dragoons. …I hope they have some of Weston's restraint.' _

Dan bows as he grabs Bella's drink,

"Thanks, Lady Bella Rae Blood." Then winks as he moves off toward a table of first year Legion recruits he had been regaling with his various misadventures. Bella is the last descendant of the once great hunter/mercenary family to bear the name Blood.

"Sure, Prion Daniel son of the Glyph." He winches as she speaks his more formal name…but tosses up his hand with the drink as he continues to his table. Prion is the tarjuh word for prince…and the Glyph is the supreme head, king, of all tarjuh clans… he's also Dan's father.

* * *

**AN:** Any questions? By-the-bye this chapter was gold, pure gold. So we should be even for me being a gank-squared and not telling you guys about my unplanned camping expedition…well, dinky tent in deep forest with a loaded shotgun, 10 gauge…I take no risks.

_**DSN:**__ What? I did mention earlier how more than a few things in Jade's dreams are inspired by real events…not necessarily how they __**actually**__ happened, but still inspired by them. (The Blood family was once a great family of hunters…that was involved in some privateering during the golden age of pirates.)_

_Bella is not the princess, merely her last descendant…_

**NC:** 'Booze, Cigars, and Hookers.' _(It sounds more fun than it is…)_

-May Dread watch over you-


	43. Booze, Cigars, and Hookers

**AN: ** Prepare for a very long council and some Jori fun, yes Jori fun…

* * *

Thursday was right on track as an average day…minus the 'discussion' (argument) over which story would be twisted, resulting in Robbie being hit with a mackerel. However, Jade putting sixteen pounds of anchovies in some girl's locker did balance things out a fair bit…and help explain where the mackerel came from. Her reason for the fishy caper was simply,

"_I needed a new Vega, now that I have a Tori."_

Tori did feel bad for the girl, but since she was kind of bitchy and a bit stuck-up, the d-mage didn't take any corrective action or scold Jade… that and she rather liked being Jade's Tori, despite how weird that sounded in her head. …As for the mackerel, it came free with the purchase of ten pounds of anchovies, and Jade was not one to waste the opportunity to slap someone with a fish…especially Robbie.

With the school day done they did their new standard end of school ritual,

"Is there anyway of locking certain searches on the archive?" Jade starts off, not even questioning why Weston was wearing a U.S. army uniform…from WWII by the look of it. He shakes off his surprise by dismissing his attire and answering her question,

"…It has a mystic biometric lock that only allows dragoons to operate the system, so unless you two want to hide things from each other…" Smiling he summons his chair after he starts falling back…falling into it right on cue. Jade sighs as her and Tori bring forth the study,

"You're rather paranoid aren't you?" He chuckles,

"I much prefer, cautious." Jade stops herself from continuing down that road and instead speaks earnestly,

"…Either way, thanks you for that. I can now use the range without fear of our friends figuring out what we are." He hadn't actually done anything, for it was like that before she had even learned how to speak…but he doesn't dwell on that, instead he offers a piece of advice,

"Secrets are a dangerous thing when it comes to friends… but you do what you think is best." Of course he doesn't have all the facts, and has no intention of giving them orders about their personal lives.

Tori cuts off Jade from saying something potentially confrontational,

"We will, and thank you for being so…friendly about all this. We really don't mean to be a bother." He finds the politeness of the rude one's partner endearing,

"I really don't mind at all, I like being useful while I'm stoned." He smiles casually. Snickering Jade shakes her head side to side, trying in vain to shake away the horrid play-on-words.

Once Jade regains herself she asks,

"…About your ammo. How do we acquire more?" Wanting to get the conversation away from that which caused the stupid joke. Tori simply watched her, amused by her still fighting off the joke's effects.

"James will requisition it as needed." He offers flatly. Seeing as that killed that topic rather quickly Jade hunts for another,

"What's with the forest?" Not that Jade didn't like it, but she felt while she had the chance she might as well get a few answers.

He isn't sure what she's talking about but takes a stab, given their previous inquiry about the armory,

"The target range." They both nod at him. He eyes them expecting an actual question,

"…What about it?"

"Forest." Since Jade was no help in his inquiry he smiles inwardly,

"You don't like it?"

"We never said that, but how?" Charles has to smile at how lost they are on the subject and grins,

"Now you see, that is something I can actually answer." Tori snickers as she points at Jade, who stares daggers at her. He proceeds through that mess,

"Pocket dimension, basically a mini-world hooked on to this one via that elevator by means of a sub-spacial anchor fabricated by..." He wasn't sure if they'd get it, so to make it seem less about understanding and more about potential he shifts,

"There are also deserts, tundras, plains, mountains, and any other terrain or combination you can probably think of. Sure as hell beats a small dark room with shooting alleys."

"Yes, yes it does. And awesome." Jade nods with her eyes closed as she begins picturing the training fun.

"That must be one hell of a spell." Tori thinks about the few times fireball spells wore her out and can't hardly fathom creating entire forests and deserts.

"You're telling me, I had to call upon the powers of a few friends to make it happen." He has no problem admitting that he's nowhere near that powerful.

"What kind of friends?" Jade returns from her partial fantasy.

"Ones you'll meet in due time…" His illusive tone and sly smile forces the duo from pursuing that area for now, so Jade instead,

"…Alright, now about transforming…" She was rather surprised at how many topics they were broaching on and the number of answer she was actually getting, but she certainly didn't want to jinx it so she didn't.

His mind flows back to the only instructions he was ever given on the topic, but he stops himself from getting to enraptured in the memory, given what might happen with the council, so he settles on a simple and useful nugget,

"…Basically it will require a clear focused mind, devoid of all distraction and thought…except for that of reaching your inner dragon. Aside from that I would advise not being around people because of the consequential Brute Fury." After letting the words sink in Jade can't help but think it could've been summed up in one word,

"…so meditation?" He drops his head chuckling,

"Yeah…that's about the reality of it." Then looks up,

"There are no secret rituals or sacrifices required."

"…alright, Thanks." Jade wasn't sure how to proceed, given that he was very forthcoming about a relatively simple instruction…and that that was all it really required.

"No problem, little ones. I am here to teach and aid in your understanding of our kind…and to make sure you're somewhat prepared for the trials that face you as both hunters and dragoons." His voice was casual and jovial, but they could sense that he was rather serious about things getting rougher down the road.

With this invitation and her previous night's conversation, Tori decides that she should just ask about the voice…albeit nervously,

"…Wh-what about…voices in your head?" Her eyes and grimace convey her concern for what he might think of her going crazy already. Jade doesn't speak as she eagerly awaits an answer.

"Voices?" He cocks his head to the side emotionlessly. She fiddles with her hands and swallows a lump in her throat before she can answer,

"…I-I sometimes have this voice appear in my head…at first it was helpful, but now it's annoying." She looks down, more than a little ashamed and definitely scared of having this problem. So, the last thing she expected was to have the High Legate Dragoon start laughing so hard that he fell out of his chair with a loud crash. He had to fight to keep the part of his mind that was holding back his memories and experiences from overwhelming the girls…but he ultimately succeeded, despite him still laughing rather hard after he fell.

The girls can barely believe what they are seeing, and cast more than a few glances between each other conveying their confusion. But rather quickly, Jade seriously doubts that Tori's problem is as serious as she once thought it was, given this display, so she relaxes into her seat and chuckles a little at the laughing fool. While Tori herself looks at him with confusion and traces of anger,

"What's so funny?" He starts taking short breathes to fight the urge to laugh as he rises from the floor and retakes his seat, trying to regain some of his dignity. After sitting up straight he clears his throat and asks,

"Were you with Irot at the times this voice appeared?" He fights a few snickers. Tori looks down at the table as she considers the question,

"Yeah…but, I don't see…" Then something clicks,

"It was Irot?" Her eyes reveal that she is still confused…but they also divulge that she is actively trying to process this info.

"You didn't actually think they were just animals did you?" He asks fighting another snicker, he really shouldn't have laughed given his own experience with Selrach…but he found it immensely amusing.

Tori opts for a scowl, blaming him for not telling them that.

"They're a manifestation of your souls, so they should be as intelligent as you."

"Would have been nice to know that sooner." Tori only deepens her scowl as she spits out the words, garnering her a supportive smile from Jade. He smirks,

"I just assumed you two were smart enough to figure it out."

"You know what they say about assuming don't you?" Jade bites back, not one to be called the fool.

He sighs with a smile,

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. But you have to understand it's a dragoon thing. We are the only half-bloods who have contracts and consequently companions…and it's sort of a tradition to see how each dragoon handles their companion when they first start talking in our heads." Noticing that their expressions are still stern, he grins sheepishly,

"I personally...may have accidentally shot Thomas in the foot when I pulled my gun, thinking the voice was a monster." At this confession the girls let their disdain for his joke slip away and enjoy a light laugh.

Rather relieved that it was far from a 'just her' thing and knowing that Charles reacted more poorly, Tori smiles,

"And speaking of companions, where is your mobile mountain of a dragon hiding?" While they were on the subject Tori figured she might as well get a little info on his companion.

"Selrahc is safely swimming about the Pacific." Which is why he was currently setup on the west coast in the first place. He much preferred the east's beaches and lack of earthquakes, but Sel loved the depths of the Pacific, so he stayed. Though he was planning a trip to Japan…praying that there wouldn't be Tera-'Godzilla' incident, seeing as she was many times larger than Big-G.

"Mistaken for an Island no doubt." Jade offers lazily, not serious in the least.

"…Not yet, but Esiada, Lady Adaise's companion, was often mistaken for an island while she was in the Atlantic…a few centuries ago." He never met Adaise, she was before his time…but he holds high respect for her because she also had a dreadnaught dragon as her companion, which meant that they were very similar in personality and spirit.

Tori taking full notice of the way he looked down when he finished, asks cautiously,

"Is she…?" He looks up at her,

"Dead. …Lady Adaise went insane and was executed by the archangel Michael…she made it eight hundred and sixty years though." He smiles hoping that will be his minimum as well.

Having never heard him speak about what happened to the companion once the dragoon went crazy Jade decides to ask,

"And Esiada?" He shakes his head,

"Without Adaise, Esiada can't exist."

"But what happens if...when Irot and Edaj reach full maturity?" Jade alters her word choice after a brief glance at the d-mage. He's about to speak, but is cut off by Tori speaking solemnly,

"No one ever has, have they?" Again he shakes his head,

"No one has ever seen a truly manifested companion…" Then looks up with a diabolical smile,

"Except you two."

"What?" They both look at him in confusion.

"I shouldn't bring it up…but since in your little prophetic vision you saw Irot and Edaj at full maturity…"

"We must make it." Jade states rather casually, never really having that much trouble with the idea of going crazy and being executed…then again she is Jade. Tori however, basically screams,

"I won't go insane!" She even gets up and does a little victory dance…or rather a 'I'm not going to be killed by an angel' dance, which looked a lot like a victory dance with more arm flailing. This dance proved rather amusing to Charles,

"…So good news then?"

"That is some of the best fucking news I've ever heard." She resumes her dance, despite the look Jade's giving her,

"Cussing Tori, very naughty." As she wags her index finger slowly. Tori stops briefly to look at her,

"I'm not going to go insane, that's a reason to celebrate…bring on the booze, cigars, and hookers." Then resumes…inviting Jade to join her. Chuckling Jade waves off the invite,

"Male or female?"

"Both, I'm feelin' frisky." Tori adds a little extra hip swaying.

"Okay, Abe, calm down." Charles brings up a hand, not really wanting to spoil her fun, but he had to, for their time was limited.

"Abe?" Jade looks over to him with a cocked eyebrow, as Tori begins to return to her seat with a pout. He shrugs,

"Lincoln liked his prostitutes, and smoke …and a bit of booze too." Jade shakes her head as she chortles,

"You probably killed Hitler, huh?" He lets her have her laugh before smirking,

"…Actually…kind of." Needless to say the laughing dead stops.

"You killed Hitler?" They both stare at him with looks of shock and utter disbelief, especially since they have been informed that he died via other means…suicide.

"He was a grade-A super dick…plus he was in league with the Vertknight Princes; a league of vamp-lords, escaped devils, and a few other bastards, to turn much of humanity into food. Death camps, food banks… Vertknights **were** twisted freaks to say the least." He takes great pride in ridding the world of that coalition of nightmares…only regretting that he hadn't seen what they were up to sooner.

"Were?" Jade inquires at his invitation.

"Dan, Reggie, and I had a _wee_ bit of fun in Berlin." He pinches his fingers very close together as a sinister smile graces his face, revealing exactly what they did before the Reds showed up to hold the city.

"…And we have officially reached the limit. Ta-ta." He ends it right before his mind releases itself upon them in a tsunami of thoughts.

_9Dread9_

"First you tell them to forget about prophecies…then you tell them to embrace theirs because it helps them deal with their insanity issues." Mike seemed a bit agitated.

"Are you trying to ask me something…or simply recapping?" Charles stands, dismissing the current visage for that of the top of the Empire State building at dawn, still under construction.

"I find your thought process…interesting." Charles can feel the Mike looking about his choice of scenery and chuckles,

"Should I expect exploratory neutral surgery in my future?" As he looks out taking in New York as the sun begins to rise.

"No…just a passing curiosity." Mike speaks dismissively.

"Good, because it's currently encased in the one substance even you can't break." The stone Legate smiles as he prepares to jump from the iconic building. Mike doesn't speak, but Charles knows he's glaring. Falling Charles simply laughs, as he shifts to his dragoon state, second form. Spreading his wings he rides the warming air.

* * *

"Who's Reggie?" Tori inquires while staring right at Jade, who mocks,

"And how would I know?" The d-mage shrugs,

"...Well, since you seem to be the one with all the weird Weston memories…I just figured." Before she leans her back against the statue. Jade looks up at the statue as she actively tries to remember anything,

"Well…I don't happen to be recalling anything…" Then a glint graces her eyes as she adds,

"…except, about those hookers…" Tori rolls her eyes,

"I was kidding. …Unless you want to spring for them?" Then bats her eyelashes at the d-knight as she makes a pout look oh-so sexy. Jade begins walking away,

"You pay for your own bi-threesomes."

"We could split the difference and have a mini-orgy." Tori trots up beside her with a wide grin as they leave the Blackbox. The thought of Tori in an orgy was swiftly shaken from Jade's mind as she remarks,

"I'm not sure how to process that one…" More accurately she didn't want to, so she opts out,

"So, I'll say 'no' up front."

"How 'bout round back?" Tori asks as she lands her hand on Jade's left ass cheek with a loud 'thwack' sound resonating down the hall. This garners an expression of disbelief across Jade's face,

"Did you just slap my ass?" As she rubs the impact spot, given that they were both dragoons and since Tori didn't hold back it actually hurt a little. Not that the pain was entirely unpleasant…not that she would ever even dignify that thought with a moment of her time.

Tori increases her pace and smiles innocently,

"Did I? I do remember hearing a satisfying 'thwack' sound…huh, beats me." Then shrugs as she smiles slyly. Jade bites,

"I will if you slap my ass again." Tori turns on her heels, stopping right in front of Jade. She then leans forward until she's right by Jade's ear. Once hovering there she whispers ever so slightly in the most seductive voice she can,

"_Sounds like a party."_ With her breathe blowing gentle in Jade's ear… then steps back, winks, and continues walking, slowly. Jade is at a temporary loss for words as a weak surge of blood forces itself across her cheeks, _'What the hell was that?...That was…' _…then she sneers,

"…Okay, you need to be less good and more obvious." Before she increases speed and outpaces Tori, which is probably the stupidest thing she could've done. For Tori decides to walk right behind her, timing her steps perfectly as she leans in right next to Jade's ear again and whispers in the same voice,

"_Why? Am I turning you on?" _This time Jade turns to face Tori, who gets tripped by Jade's legs turning. Jade catches her with her right hand right below Tori's left breast and her left hand on Tori's right shoulder. With their faces mere centimeters apart their eyes lock…and Jade conveys the essence of sexy in her owns eyes and voice as she asks,

"_Do you really want to know?" _Tori can taste the Frappuccino Grande on Jade's breathe as tendrils of red crawl across her face, _'Jade's kidding right?...she wouldn't actually…' _She finally answers the actual question when she forces the words out,

"…No, I'm good." Jade smiles,

"Then let's go." As she steps back, releasing Tori and turning around,

"I have a desire to shoot my gun." Despite the weirdness Tori is about to make a rather crude joke,

"…nevermind." But decides against it as the full force of what had just happened hits her, _'Sure tempt her to take the game even further, because that would be a wonderful idea Tori.' _Of course she isn't alone in these thoughts, as Jade has a few as well, '_I get the feeling that we really need to stop with the teasing, because one of us is going to push it too far and do something stupid…I just hope it isn't Tori-No, I mean me-__**I **__don't want to do something stupid...What do I care if Tori does something embarrassing?...'_ She really does try to convince herself of the last thought…but it never quite sticks.

* * *

The rest of the day was entertaining for Jade as she got to return to _her_ range and unload into and slice to pieces more than a few dozen dummies…but not the most annoying one that remained in the study yet again.

She was joined by Andre, who got the pleasure of watching her dance across the range with the blade 'n' gun combos; shooting, followed by rapid slices, then more shooting. The d-knight was a little disappointed that Tori had decided to join Beck in the gym instead of her on the range…but dismissed those thoughts as she returned to her fun.

_9Dread9_

Meanwhile in the gym Beck had chosen a target opposite Tori's and began silently punching away…and every time he saw Tori on the other bag he swung just a little harder at the super heavy bag. Assuming that he was taking this seriously for his and Jade's sake, Tori didn't bother to question him about his muteness.

The truth is…she nailed it on the head, for thinking back to the goblin attack he was angry that Tori seemed so much better at protecting Jade than he ever could, so he would get stronger, faster, and master his weapons. It was a really good thing he didn't know just how inadequate he would always be in the 'protecting Jade' department, or else his ego might take a hit that might not be so easy to heal.

She herself had taken to trying to preform combos on the bag…that she had admittedly seen on TV. The result of this was her misjudging a hit's timing and missing the bag altogether, sending her around in a spin…that ended in her unintentionally head-butting the bag, when it swung back at her. With her new skull density it wasn't much more than the loud 'smack' sound it generated…but it still sounded painful so Beck ventures to ask,

"You alright?" As he walked over. Tori pulls her head back from the bag and looks over with a pitiful grin,

"Yeah, just me being stupid…and actually assuming that I could pull off the same techniques that require weeks to months of choreography or years of real training." She rubs the back of her head, embarrassed mainly because she knew that it took time to master even the fake stuff yet did it anyway.

"Then maybe you should start with the basics." He performs a basic left right left on the bag. She nods,

"I'll have to do that…because next time it'll be the floor that greets my face." Then eyes the floor and does the 'I'm watching you' sign with her fingers. Chuckling Beck teases,

"Yeah, what would Jade think if your face was all damaged?" He had decided to listen to Cat's speech and not sweat Jade and Tori…or that's at least what he kept telling himself, because it didn't seem to stick and he always had just a hair of worry.

"I suppose she does only like pretty people uh?" She smirks at Mr. Handsome, who poshly looks up showcasing his good side,

"I can't help being handsome…I've tried, with no success." Then turns back to her tossing his hand up in surrender.

"I could give you a few pointers?" She grins as she rolls her hands into fists, cracking the knuckles as she does. He chortles as he heads back to his bag.

* * *

As the training on the range draws to a close Andre looks over to Jade,

"Jade, you alright?" Taking notice of the heavy panting and sweat rolling off her, which given what it takes to actually make her sweat garnered some concern from the grenadier. She looks over to him with a massive smile,

"Yeah, I feel fucking fantastic…" As she slicks back her wringing wet hair,

"That was the very definition of fun." She shoulders the katana and walks back over to the table to retrieve the sheath, smiling the entire time. Andre had a thought, _'That's hot…and terrifying… I wonder if Tori would agree.' _A sinister smile plays across his face.

* * *

**AN:** Wow, all that to setup one ass-slap joke. It was a good joke though.

**Hyper Important! :**I can no longer promise when I will release new chapters, for I seem to be facing a wall of writer's block on **all** my older stories. I'll try to release when I can, I am sorry for this…luckily there is a plethora of stories on this site that will easily distract you. Thank you for reading.

**NC:** 'Skinning Dragons and Tigers' _(whenever it may come…but it will come, by Dread's army this I swear__)_

-May Dread watch over you-


	44. Skinning Tigers and Dragons

**AN:** I know I said I didn't know when I'd be able to get this chapter out, but I would still like to apologize for it taking _**sooo **_long. Things are tricky right now… And, No, this story is not DEAD… It's simply taken a backseat to my mind's wild operations, hence tricky. But I love this story too much to ever let it just die, so I **will** write for it and I **will** post…when I can.

To those of you who are still reading, Thank you…and thank you for your patience and understanding.

Now to the meat: Irot and Edaj cannot psychically speak so I will use '' for them as they speak telepathically…

Last time, Jade and Tori found out that Irot and Edaj are sentient and can speak to them, and in Tori's case has been speaking to her. Here is where that leads…

* * *

Holding a set of strange clothes Mrs. Vega inquires about the peculiar attire,

"Tori, whose clothes are these?" The d-mage glances at the dark apparel,

"Jade's. She had a tiny accident with her lunch, so she took a shower here and burrowed some of my clothes." And came up with an incredibly simple and believable lie…unless you actually think about what happened, then it would be more truth than fiction.

"Okay, well here you go." Mrs. Vega hands her daughter the clothes, assuming she'll get them back to their owner with ease.

"That actually reminds me that I have to get my clothes back from her…thanks, mom." Tori smiles before she departs for her room.

"Yeah, sure." Mrs. Vega goes back to her previous task…

Tossing Jade's clothes on her bed, Tori entered the room and waited for Irot to show himself. When he scurried up her and rested on her head she walked over to her mirror and stood there with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face,

"So…were you going to tell me you can talk?" Irot looked into the mirror and let a slow smile play across his lips,

'…_Nope.'_ As the familiar voice floats inside her head her scowl deepens,

"Why?"

'_Because I wanted to learn more before I decided to simply blurt out that I can speak to you telepathically.' _The stern expression that had been painted on her face fades as she thinks over this excuse,

"…I actually get that, but I'm still angry." Then let's her scowl return. He chuckles,

'_I know.' _

"Are you going to apologize?" She starts tapping her foot, which causes her to start vibrating and consequently Irot. With his whiskers bobbing against his will he earnestly states,

'_I could, but it wouldn't be sincere.' _ For it really wasn't in his nature to lie to Tori…and wouldn't be in his nature to lie to either Jade or Edaj for that matter.

She grits her teeth as her left eye starts twitching, so he physically sighs before,

'_I have no reservations that I should have been more careful and done a better job of planning this out, but I would have done this again if I had the option.'_

"…Fine, but you sleep in the closet tonight." She points at the closet he had scurried out of.

'_That's cruel.' _He pouts, which was rather adorable. But Tori maintains her stern stance,

"You omitted valuable intelligence. That is a breach of trust." Irot drops his head,

'_You're right, I'm sorry.' _The pout playing on his elongated face only increases. Still not wavering she eyed him warily,

"You cave too easily." Not fully accepting the apology. The pout disappears as he shows his fangs in a wide grin,

'_I'm you after all.' _

"…Arguing with you is going to be really hard isn't it?" Feeling very much the loser in this discussion, Tori looks up to the small head looking down at her. The owner of said head lets his grin fall more casually,

'_It'll make you and Jade seem like toddlers spitting at each other.' _She sighs as she drops her head,

"Frag me." He takes the action in stride as he simply leaps off her head to the side, landing on her desk with a gentle 'tink-tink-tink' tapping noise as his claws grace the desk's metal surface. Spinning around, generating more 'tinks', he looks up at her as he sits up.

* * *

Jade barely enters the house before her stepmother berates her with a kind,

"Jadie, why don't you wear more of those lighter clothes I saw in the laundry?" Loathing 'Jadie' as the worst form of insult Jade offers as kindly in return as she can,

"Because those belong to my _girlfriend_." Unfortunately her dearest stepmother doesn't take Jade's bait, instead she thinks that her having a close female friend is a good thing, but wonders,

"Oh, so why do you have them?" Jade smiles to herself, knowing this is a second chance to get her,

"Because I needed to wear them after…" But then she remembers that her stepmother still isn't going to get it unless she makes it painfully blunt…so instead she offers,

"Mine got stained with someone else's lunch, she graciously let me shower and change at her house."

"She seems like a good friend." Her s-mother smiles as she picks up her dog and leaves for the den.

"Yeah, the best." Jade tries to sound sarcastic…but fails when she realizes that Tori is her best friend, _'Epic Fail.'_

Trying to wipe from her mind the epitome of a nightmare that is her stepmother Jade enters her room to have a conversation with one, who she hopes is more intelligent than marble. Upon her bed is the one in question, so Jade simply asks,

"I have to ask, why don't you talk to me like Irot talks to Tori?" Edaj lazily lifts her head from her paws as she fills Jade's mind with a sweet yet slightly husky female voice,

'_Because they're idiots, and he has no real sense of tact.'_ She then shakes her head slowly, which garners a rather satisfied grin from Jade,

"Yeah, you're me alright." Edaj smiles with her head tilted to the side,

'_I'm glad you approve, otherwise I might have to start talking to all the other humans I'm bound to.'_ Jade rolls her eyes,

"So there are two Jades?"

'_Four if you count your unborn children.'_ Jade swiftly recalls her previous conversations in Edaj's presence and just a quickly reminds her,

"Imaginary." Edaj shrugs,

'_If you say so.'_ Jade sighs,

"I wonder if this is what Tori meant by annoying?"

'_You could ask her.'_ Edaj offers flatly.

"I don't think that'll be necessary." Jade replies as she walks over to her desk…but is stopped half-way by the next thing to dance through her mind courtesy of the black cat,

'_Because I'm fairly certain Irot and I could create a link.'_ The d-knight looks over to the mini-tigress,

"…Are you talking about…telepathy?" Edaj chuckles,

'_And what do you think we're doing right now?'_ Jade drops her head,

"…So this is what it feels like to talk to me…no wonder people want to skin me." Chuckling a little more the tiger asks,

'…_So?'_ Raising her head Jade grunts,

"Do it." Edaj smiles,

'_Okay.' _

After a minute of silence Jade thinks loudly,

'Is it active?'

Now laying on her bed Tori sits up sharply as the unmistakable voice of her leathery partner echoes through her mind. Looking about her room she asks,

"Jade?" Jade's answer comes after a brief pause,

'_Tori?'_ Recognizing that the voice isn't in her room but instead in her head just like with Irot and their earlier bout of telepathy, she answers internally,

'_Yeah…why are you in my head?' _Now sitting on her own bed Jade looks over to a smiling Edaj and answers,

'_Irot and Edaj are creating a link for us.'_ At that Tori immediately looks over to Irot's head popping out of the closet, and sneers,

'_Great, something else he didn't tell me.'_

'_At least yours spoke to you.'_ Jade offers as she falls back on her bed while keeping an eye on the tiger, who speaks sweetly,

'_I had other influences on you, Jade.'_ Before Jade can ask what the hell she's talking about, Tori cuts her off to inquire about the new voice in her head,

'Is that Edaj?' Her answer doesn't come from Jade as she expected but instead it comes from the new voice,

'_And who else would I be, Tori, The Prince of Wales?'_ The playful tone has Tori sigh,

'…_She's definitely you.'_ Jade response is an eerily similar sigh,

'_I'm aware.'_ Noticing the absence of a supposed talkative voice, Jade asks,

'_So, is your chatty friend going to speak?'_ Her answer comes quickly from the only masculine voice to now be occupying four separate minds,

'_Yes, but I was waiting for a more interesting opening.'_ Tori grunts,

'_Sure, now you use tact.' _Edaj quips,

'_Says his master.'_ Jade counters,

'_Says the mute.'_ And Irot completes the circle,

'_Says the mate.'_ With Edaj laughing and nodding in agreement. This brings both Tori and Jade to shout, internally,

'_We are not mates!'_ As they sit up and stare at the offending duet, who chuckle as they offer in unison as well,

'_Sure, whatever you say.'_ Sighing Tori maintains her stare on her dragon,

'_We've already discussed this.'_

'_Yes, yet it's still fun.'_ He offers casually. And is supported by Edaj,

'_Indeed.'_ Exhaling Tori falls back and stares at the ceiling,

'_This going to be a long eternity.'_ Feeling that she never really will get used to this strange life. Feeling much the same way, Jade does the same thing as she agrees wholeheartedly,

'_Yep.' _

Jade and Tori didn't carry on much of a conversation after that, they preferred to simply let everything digest as they simply laid there staring at their respective ceilings.

* * *

Despite their companions' reluctance to continue speaking that didn't stop Edaj and Irot from _speaking_ to each other.

'_So, how goes the dream-weaving?'_ Irot inquires curtly. Unfazed by his direct nature the tiger smiles,

'_It's hard to draw out her true self when she falls asleep elsewhere, but I think I laid a pretty fair groundwork. Her fantasies are now as true to me as they can be.'_ She was rather proud of what she had already accomplished, despite Jade's tendencies to not sleep within range of her mind. He states flatly,

'_You are the meticulous one.'_ And she offers with a sly bite,

'_I suppose I do like to plan things out.'_ Easily catching that she was referring to him speaking to Tori somewhat recklessly, he offers solemnly,

'…_She needed me, so I spoke.' _He still doesn't regret what he did. Edaj chuckles,

'_You two have too big of a heart.'_ Slyly Irot counters,

'_I'm not sure why you're speaking as if you two don't have one just as big.'_ Not being baited into a petty argument the tigress coolly remarks,

'_Because we hid ours, where as you show yours on your sleeve._' Then she muses at the thought of him wearing a shirt…tropical themed.

'Yeah I suppose we do…' The dragon smiles as he looks at the girl on the bed before him, they both have such compassion for the lives of others that he can't help but be glad to be her soul. His emotions are conveyed to the tigress, who herself looks at the girl before her and smiles, feeling very much the same.

They continued for a bit, catching up on each other's lives and events over the past day…since they had been carrying-on like this since Sunday. But ultimately Edaj had fun she needed to tend to within her master's head,

* * *

_Lady West's time aboard the Jade Empress was not nearly as bad as it could have been, for Captain Oliver and Miss Valentine had heeded Mr. Cole's words and left her be…of course in order to maintain that she hadn't left Valentine's cabin since she entered it. Mr. Cole brought her meals daily and spoke with her on occasion._

'_You seem to be holding up well, Lady Weston.' He chuckled a little as he handed her the tray containing some harden bread and a piece of over salted fish. She smiles kindly as she takes the 'food', _

'_As best I can, given the predicament I find myself in.' Mr. Cole frowns as he looks about the room, that still unnerves him, _

'_Yes. I'm sorry about that…but at least you had the sense to borrow his name.' He then smiles slyly. Jade could feign stupidity and hope he was bluffing, but the chances were rather high that he wasn't bluffing…and if there was anyone on the ship worth trusting it would be him. So Jade concedes the façade,_

'…_I suppose it would have been too much for you to not know of Captain Weston's life.' He nods, _

'_I have served with him for a rather long time.' Given this she wondered, _

'_Then may I inquire as to why you are betraying him?" One would expect such service to have some modicum of loyalty…even at the lowest level. To her question he smiles, _

"_You may." This little joke made it abundantly clear to Jade that this man had not only stood before the elite scholars but also crossed wit with them, but she still cast him a feint glare. He laughs,_

"_But who said I was betraying him?" Before winking and leaving her in the room with a thought, '_He certainly is not what he appears to be.'

_9Dread9_

_Having received the blessing of the princess, Captain Vegaria and her first-mate Mr. Harris return to the Maria Rae. As he boards Mr. Harris announces in a bellow, _

'_It is done. We leave immediately at the princess's order.' At this many of the many are eager to set sail and claim revenge…but the largest of the pirates steps forward, _

'_And is she our captain?' He points at the new captain while sneering. Mr. Harris had not the patience for this oaf,_

'_You heard Weston.' Leveling his tone to dead calm. Snarling the large seaman barks,_

'_Well, I refuse to follow the orders of one who feeds the sharks with her supper.' Then he laughs heartily, joined by several others. With anger gracing his tone and eyes the first-mate growls, _

'_You will and love it, Mr. Powers.' Holding his ground the beast of a man points at the girl once more, _

'_I challenge her for the right to lead me.' Mr. Harris despised this custom and was grateful that Weston could easily defeat any challengers, because it could be a messy and wasteful affair, especially in such a situation. He grits his teeth and offers, _

'_We have not the time, we shall do this en route.' As he moves off to get the ship sailing before the inevitable brawl. Mr. Powers grins,_

'_Fine by me, sir.' He shows some respect as he turns to attend to his duty. _

_Trotting beside Mr. Harris, Vegaria inquires, _

'_I have to fight him don't I?' Already knowing the answer but hoping that there was even a chance that she wouldn't have to fight the muscle bound brute. In a sigh Mr. Harris informs her of the answer to her fear, _

'_Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid so.' She drops her head with a sigh, '_Great, I have to defeat that ox.'

_9Dread9_

_Not an hour to sea the main deck is filled with the entire crew standing loosely around Mr. Powers and Captain Vegaria._

_Vegaria rolls out of the way as he stomps his boot at her head. Circling around behind him she punches him in the side twice before he swings his arm around. She narrowly ducks in time to keep her head. As she rises she delivers an uppercut to his jaw. He steps back as he shakes his head. Vegaria uses the opportunity to jump on a crate then leap off punching him. He staggers backward catching himself on the railing. Snorting he charges at her. She rolls to the side and springs up after he passes. Delivering several more punches to his back, then leaping back to await his next attack. _

_The crew starts laughing, where he has failed to land a single hit against her while she has landed at least a dozen on him. Mr. Harris speaks up,_

'_If she had a sword you'd be dead, Powers.' The crew's laughter increases. He snorts then charges again. This time she throws herself at his legs, tripping him up. Her impact sends him headlong into a few crates with a loud crash. The crew is momentarily shocked, only to laugh twice as hard as before._

_He rises from the wreckage shaking off the bits of debris. Standing at his full height he begins laughing hardily. Vega doesn't let down her guard._

'_I surrender.' He tosses up his hands as he continues to laugh. One of the others hands him a drink, which he shallows in one gulp. She only relaxes her stance when Mr. Harris approaches with two drinks,_

'_Excellent work, Captain!' He directs his shout toward Mr. Powers, who grins before shouting back,_

'_Indeed, Captain!' The rest of the crew all shout in agreement holding up their drinks._

'_I think you have a crew, ma'am.' Mr. Harris states smiling, utterly surprised at what this girl was capable of. Nodding she asks,_

'_Then we can save Lady West with no more distractions?' He shakes his head, _

'_Unless you wish them.' Though it did feel good to beat-up a bruiser, being somewhat surprised herself at just how good she was, she had a mission to complete,_

'_I won't.' She states flatly. At that Mr. Harris turns to the crew and shouts, _

'_Then men! We keep pace to recover the Captain's stolen Lady.' They quickly finish their drinks and move back to their posts. Vega smiles to herself, '_My lady…seems to have a different meaning to me now.'

* * *

**AN:** Jadie…aahahahaha… No wait, I'm sorry, Jade. There's no reason to hurt me…I'll undo itttttttt-aaaaahhhhhhh *author being hurled through wall, violently*.

I'll try to be quicker next time…I hope.

**NC**: Just Friday…. (No, Ice Cube will not be in it.)

-May Dread watch over you-


	45. Just Friday

**AN:** _*author rises from the rubble* I'm alive! _

…_But what's that purple light…*peering through hole made by self* …Oh poo. *author gets hit by purple plasma-ball* _

_*Tori steps through the hole* No one calls her 'Jadie'._

_Except you, Tor. *Jade steps through behind her, grinning.*_

Sorry to the nth for the longer than intended delay, I have no excuse or explanation, only guilt. Do enjoy this 6300+ word monster of a chapter… it should appease some, a faster next chapter will appease the others. :{) …hopefully.

**So** last time Jade and Tori had a lovely little discussion with Irot and Edaj andhere is the next day… Just Friday and all its normality.

* * *

Tori awoke to a wonderful feeling of peace, for she had one of the best night's sleeps of her life and was not being awoken by her sister or anyone, or anything else. Irot was happily asleep above her head and the sun was still hidden by the early morning. Truthfully Tori wasn't even mad that he didn't listen to her, her mood was just that good. Smiling she looks over to her window and notes the severe lack of sunlight and thinks to herself, _'I guess I reset my internal clock from waking up so early so often.' _

Irot simply yawned as he readjusted himself, flicking his tail over her head and across her eyes…wordlessly and thoughtlessly saying he didn't want to talk yet. Yawning Tori finds herself in agreement with the little reptile and snuggles down a little further into her warm nest.

…Then realizing something she shoots her eyes open and can see, despite her knowing full well it's still very dark in her room. She scans the room and can make out everything as if the light was on… though everything lacked it's usually coloring in favor of a low orange hue.

"I'm either dreaming or this is yet another gift of my new blood." She closes her eyes, _'Will the surprises never cease.'_ She tries to go back to sleep but keeps opening her eyes to see if she can still see in the dark… and every time she does she still can see.

Eventually she elects to simply get up and get ready for her day.

While she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth she decided to try something, so she switched off the light… and she could still see. She then looks over in the mirror and sees her eyes are no longer brown or even human, but instead deep orange dragon's eyes. The image of those eyes set in her head startles her at first, but she very quickly gets over it as she starts admiring the alluring orbs…

"But I don't understand."Tori was perplexed because she could clearly remember,_ 'I've been in darkness and couldn't see, even after the contract. How...?'_ But she is drawn from her thoughts by a knock at the door startling her, nearly jamming her toothbrush into the back of her mouth.

Pulling it free she swiftly rinses it off and spits before she flips on the lights and swiftly double-checks to make sure her eyes are normal again before opening the door, revealing her sister standing there with a bewildered look on her face,

"What were you doing in there with the lights off?" Not appreciating being startled Tori answers with bite,

"I had a serious bowel movement and the darkness calms me." Trina takes a step back and raises her hands in front of her,

"I did not need to know that." Tori pushes passed her dearest sister with a Jade-esk tone,

"Then maybe you shouldn't have asked." Not liking being talked down to Trina tosses back,

"Next time I won't." Tori wordlessly continues to her room, not sure if she was still upset with Trina for surprising her or amused at her being flustered…. _'Maybe I got a little Jade in me after that conversation last night…'_ Entering her room she catches Irot smirking at her, without casting a thought her way he then rests his head back on his coiled form.

* * *

Despite the understandable and numerous similarities between Jade and Edaj there was at least one tiny little thing that was very obviously different, Jade couldn't stand waking up early whereas Edaj couldn't stand sleeping late. And with this difference ingrained in her mind it was not a surprise to Jade that Edaj was already up… and in fact the one responsible for her waking up before she would ever want to.

The only real good thing about the time that her tigress chose to wake her at was that it was before the sun's damned rays pierced her room, so Jade was not accosted by that annoyance. However that wasn't really a sufficient consolation prize for waking up to a tiger cub staring down at you with impatience blaring from her eyes.

Before Jade could even comment on the odd location of the large cub, Edaj's voice graces her mind, _'So… is there any chance we could go to the park again?' _Her tone is rather eager as a tail is swaying in an almost wagging like motion behind her.

Taking a moment to register what she was being asked Jade finally asks,

"…Really?" In truth she took Edaj to the park because she thought she was merely a supernatural tiger, not a sentient tiger with a mind to rival her own. So she never really expected the cub to ever want to return to what the d-knight considered a demeaning location for one of her intelligence.

However Edaj had a very different thought on this, _'Yes, really. You get to leave this room and stretch your legs, so may I inquire as to why I can't do the same?' _She then looked down at her expectantly.

Jade was yet again caught rather off-guard, but this time it was the logic of Edaj's argument that had her a bit at a loss for words. …But she did eventually muster,

"Because you're a war-tiger, not a kitten." Unfortunately that was pathetically flimsy in the mind of her chest-heater still sitting atop her, _'If you really feel that way then I'll simply have to live up to my breed.'_ The look in the tigress's eyes would have concerned any…and in this case Jade was no exception. Slightly nervous she asks,

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" The slight stutter delights Edaj as she smirks, _'You're smart, I'm sure you'll figure it out.'_ Before kneading her claws on Jade's neck then leaping on the wall and ascending to the ceiling, just to showcase the limitations of her confinement. In her wake she left eight razor thin marks in Jade's skin, marks so thin that blood only escaped when Jade rose flexing her torso enough to draw a few drops of blood.

Wiping away the scarce amount of life elixir Jade seriously considers another outing with her soul-form before a few drops of blood were merely fond memories of a safer time before Edaj started displaying her naturally darker side. The thought sent a shiver down her spine as she settled on getting up and preparing for the day ahead.

* * *

After finishing up getting ready to leave for the last day of school for the week Tori descends to the living room to find her sister wearing an oversized raincoat, which was ordered in such haste that Trina had forgotten to specify the size… so the rep, whom she had been insulting, decided to give her a supersized version of the designer piece as his revenge.

Of course Tori had to ask,

"Why are you wearing that?" The wild design of deep green thorny vines twisting about the entire article seemed far more akin to something Jade would prefer, if it wasn't a raincoat that is… though the white roses in bloom did contrast the black that was the base of the background. Apparently some actress had released it after a weird dark-eco phase…Trina didn't seem to care as long as it was 'in' somewhere she was wearin' it. But instead of informing her sister of this she simply states,

"Because it's supposed to rain today." Walking over to the door and opening it Tori reveals a beautiful day in the making and smugly offers,

"But it's sunny without a cloud in sight." Looking up to the heavens and their severe lack of puffy or even wisped white Trina informs,

"Yeah, but Rick Snow says it's going to rain." Sighing deeply Tori considered the Columbian immigrant who decided that he wanted to forecast weather once he got to this country,

"The guy chose the last name Snow for a southern Cali weatherman. He's not exactly the guy I'd take weather advice from." Of course the man had an 86% accuracy rating, 13% higher than any other in the Southwest, so Tori may have been wise to not judge a book by its title.

Trina was fully aware of the man's knack for reading weather patterns and coolly offers,

"We'll see." Before she heads out to the car, with Tori behind her, somewhat amused by the thought of Trina wearing the large awkward coat while driving… which she did actually do.

* * *

Standing just outside the front door Jade inhales deeply taking in a unique scent on the air,

"Smells like… rain." Then she turns around to fetch an umbrella… and is greeted by her stepmother handing her Tori's clothes,

"Don't forget your girlfriend's clothes." Completely forgetting their conversation from the previous day Jade is taken aback by the concept of the clothes' owner, Tori, being her girlfriend…which hits harder because the thought of Tori asleep wrapped around her crosses her mind. The strange feeling of having someone providing that level of intimacy without really trying, and more importantly not having her wanting to kill said individual crawls throughout her body…but is interrupted by a voice purring, _'And she isn't your mate?'_

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and the smugness of the cub, Jade accepts the articles from her stepmother…though the delay in any form of reaction causes the woman to inquire,

"Are you alright, Jadie? You look a little red…and kind of anxious." Noting the slight flush on Jade's cheeks and the twitchiness she was now displaying. Shaking her head again Jade declares,

"I'm fine! Just a weird thought about a…" She stops herself from revealing more than necessary and finishes with,

"…it's nothing. Thanks for washing these." She casts an automatic smile as she motions to the clothes in her hand.

"…No problem, Jade." Jade's stepmother had never once been thanked by her stepdaughter and was genuinely surprised by it occurring now, but she was not one to ask why when it was better to simply shut up and smile, as Jade would surely put it.

Grabbing an umbrella with her freehand Jade disembarks the house altogether…as her mind went into freak-out mode,

'_What the hell was that? Did I just thank her? Did she…wait she called me Jade…why did she? …Fuck! What's happening to me?'_ Jade's already feeling crazy, so the last thing she thought she needed was a wiseass answer from Edaj…but that's what she got,

'_If I had to guess….Tori.'_ The self-assuredness was rather thick, which prompted Jade to bite internally,

'_Nobody asked you!'_ Then Jade began to think about the best way to turn this situation from her issues with her mother and apparently Tori to something that will hopefully sate the tigress,

'…_And if you stop the weirdness I'll take you to the forest, so you can run about like an idiot.'_ The d-knight could feel the eye-roll worthy tone that the cub replied in,

'_I'll ignore being referred to as an idiot if you promise me that you'll enjoy your date tomorrow._' One should not be able to feel a smirk that smug…but Jade did and actually considered her answer as she slid into the driver's seat,

'…_.I thought that was a given.'_ Letting her own tone carry the smirk she was wearing. Edaj lets a genuinely joyful tone carry a,

'_Have a nice day…with your mate.'_ Jade's face fell into a bit of a sneer as she pulled out of the drive and hurried off to school, _'How the hell is Tori an answer to why I thanked my dipshit stepmother?'_ Then she actually thought about how simply the answer really was and just how well it worked, _'….Oh, god…I was distracted because of Tori, a freaking again! I can't keep getting caught up thinking about her…better yet I could stop thinking about her when she's not directly in front of me, how about that genius?'_ Luckily she was stopped at a stop sign when the realization of what she had just done hit her, because she dropped her head to the steering wheel and groaned,

"Good lord, I'm asking myself questions as if I expect an actual answer…" Raising her head she reasons,

"I need to take a nice little break from this and clear my thoughts without anyone else to hear them." She began to consider exactly how she would accomplish this little feat as she drove on to school with rain beginning to fall from the already darkened sky.

* * *

Andre walked up to Tori, who was digging around in her locker, asking,

"Tor, some rain huh?" Commenting on the downpour that was still soaking the earth.

"Yeah…" Tori answers a bit grumpily as she closes her locker revealing her soaked person. Of course the dripping water ending in a pool at her feet should have given him a sign of this fate, but regardless Tori was drenched. She was completely and utterly waterlogged, with her hair clinging in clumps along any surface said clumps could stick to.

"You didn't catch the weather?" He asks as tries not to laugh at her appearance. Sighing she answers,

"Yeah, I just don't believe a guy who picked the name Snow." He offers cautiously,

"He's usually right, you know?" Before Tori could retort Jade declares,

"Wow. Vega, do you not know what an umbrella is?" As she saunters up while at least trying to fight her laughter…but unlike Andre she really wasn't trying too hard and let a few snickers out. Huffing the brunette bites,

"Yes, I'm perfectly aware. But that doesn't do me any good now though does it?" Motioning to her person's still very wet state.

Momentarily stunned by how adorable Tori looked when she was both angry and drenched, Jade is unable to bite back with a sharp retort… Instead she offers,

"…Is it weird that I have a change of clothes you can use?" Rather kindly as she forces the undesired thoughts out of her head…hoping in vain to never think them again.

"Depends on why you have them." Despite their new friendship Tori fully expected Jade to at least mess with her every now and again, for that was who Jade was after all. So it was completely within reason for the d-mage to need to take at least some precaution.

However Jade smiles and casually offers,

"Please think about earlier this week and get back to me." This sends Tori's brain into hyper drive to figure out this little hint…and luckily it doesn't take long for her to remember Jade showering at her house,

"…You're kidding?" The d-knight rapidly answers,

"Nope. Washed and ready…and in my car, so here and here." While handing the slightly confused brunette her umbrella and keys. Fighting off her confusion as to why Jade needed to include 'washed and ready' in her answer, Tori accepts both items and fires a Cat like,

"Thanks, Jade!" With a hint of amusement in her eyes Jade feigns indifference as she dismisses the other girl to her task,

"Whatever, now don't let too much water in when you fetch your property." Tori's joy at not having to wear either soggy clothes or the school's extras prevents her from noticing the 'your property' part as she merely says,

"Got it!" Before heading toward the parking-lot.

Unlike like Tori, Andre had picked up the fact that Jade obviously had the other girl's clothes, so he coolly asks,

"Do I want to know…or do I _really_ want to know?" Tossing in a little innuendo with his smirk. Sighing Jade states,

"No…and not a word! Got it?" While glaring at him. Much to her surprise he chuckles,

"Yeah-yeah, fine…but can I say that I prefer shrimp to fish at the reception." Admittedly it takes Jade a second to put together what he was suggesting, but once she does she glares more intensely with a lovely tracing of insanity,

"I still carry scissors and am very much Jade. Just because Tori and I have this friendship thing..." But her little scare tactic is interrupted by him nodding lazily,

"Uh-huh, '_friendship'_, sure, I believe you. Still want shrimp." Then he walks off before she can berate him further, leaving her there with this terrible thought, _'Tori's making me soft…'_

* * *

Later in Sikowitz's class Jade rather bluntly inquires about the state of the Halloween production, which she already hates for being a twist, so her tone was far from friendly,

"So are you going to tell us what the performance will be about or is this going to be an improv thing?"

Fully expecting Jade to be Jade Sikowitz was hardly offended or surprised by her attitude, but her question did provide him with an intriguing concept,

"…Interesting thought, but no. We will have a proper play to celebrate Halloween…it's just difficult narrowing the selection." He had such a massive plethora of potential stories to twist that he wasn't exactly sure where to begin, though he had already cast out the ones that had already been parodied or twisted.

He is brought from the list starting to form in his head, by Tori remarking,

"You might want to hurry it up, or we will be doing the improv thing." Not being mean, just reminding him that time was ticking and they would still need rehearsal time. She had been way too happy in her very dry and lovely scented change of attire…even tossing a few smiles at Jade for the gift of comfort, which the d-knight tried to ignore, regardless of the little smile she unconsciously returned each time.

He makes a declaration,

"One can't rush excellence." Then faintly adds,

"…_but yeah, I should hurry up on this one."_ Before changing the subject to an acting exercise, which was going to star the ones who only reminded him of his daunting weekend task.

* * *

Gracefully surviving the challenge of having to via for the affection of an invisible hamster named Norman…truly odd… they easily flew through the rest of the day without even the slightest hint of odd or abnormal. Ultimately they ended up at a certain statue and…

"No weird costumes?" Jade directs toward Charles, merely wearing his standard expedition garb.

"Nope." He states simply. Slightly disappointed he didn't correct her or retort with some witty remark Jade asks more theatrically,

"Any lessons on history or knowledge of who you killed that we should know about?" He merely shrugs before tossing out,

"Not unless _you_ want me to regale you of my various misadventures." Finishing with a smirk. …At that moment Jade felt like he had somehow tricked her with no effort into asking him to actually tell them a story… and she wasn't sure what her own answer was going to be. She hated when other people bored her with their personal crap, but this was a dragoon/hunter with century plus of wild and damn interesting tales to tell.

Luckily she didn't have to decide as Tori swiftly asked,

"Well, actually do you think you could please tell us about dragoon night-vision?" This question generates a very curious look on Jade's face, which Tori doesn't catch as she's looking at Charles's expression of deep thought, hoping he'll have a nice simple explanation.

"….Well, it's rather obviously a gift of the ole blood o' dragons. But why now is most likely your inquiry, correct?" He asks casually.

"Yeah." Tori nods, so he starts,

"Well, it's simple. Your bodies are still adjusting to your new cellular structure. Not everything happens at once, some things take a little longer for your bodies to incorporate into standard operations. There will be a few others… but nothing that you'll actively notice, merely minor physical adjustments." Placing a rather careful trust in the man for the last part Tori turns to Jade and rather joyfully asks,

"So what do you think about having night-vision?"

"It seems cool…but not that big a deal." Jade tosses out lazily, seeming very unimpressed by this…but of course she was actually pretty thrilled at the prospect. Tori pouts,

"Killjoy." Jade counters,

"Cat." Her over excited attitude could really only match one person and Jade called her on it, inciting a wide-eyed and horrified Tori to demand,

"Take that back!" Jade turns away grinning,

"Not on your life." Smiling to herself when Tori barks,

"Jade, I am not like Cat!" Turning to look Tori dead in the eye Jade smugly states,

"I disagree. You are very much like Cat right now." Sneering Tori starts,

"…I…" But is easily interrupted by Charles, feeling very much like the spectator in an easily escaped argument,

"I'm just going to step out for a bit…" Neither seems to initially notice the absurdity of his statement…but as they're staring at each other it clicks and they look over to him. With an amused look on his face Tori looks away and offers,

"Sorry." Feeling more than a little embarrassed at wasting his time while messin' with Jade.

Noting that they most likely didn't have anything else to formally discuss, seeing as their aside was rather pointless he smiles and offers,

"Have a nice weekend." Then raises his right hand in a half wave.

"You too?" Tori wanted to wish him the same as is standard edict would dictate, but given his stone prison she's not comfortable with the return so it's much more of a question. He merely laughs before providing her with,

"I'll be fine, over a century and a half of memories to relive, remember?" Then winking as he breaks the connection significantly earlier than normal.

_9Dread9_

Standing before the statue barely any time after convening the council Tori looks over to Jade,

"So that was weird?" The sheer bluntness of the d-mage's statement has Jade snickering, before she finally moments a more substantial answer…only partially aided by Tori glaring at her,

"Yeah, I guess your thing was all we really had to ask about…unless you can remember anything else that we needed to inquire about?" Jade simply stares at the girl expecting her to answer the inquiry with an 'oh crap I forgot about the…' or maybe a 'there was this weird thing this morning…', but alas Tori's mind cannot drudge up a topic, much less one worth their mentor's time. So she simply shrugs and moves off with Jade behind her shaking her head.

Despite having been turned into mythical living weapons of a trans-dimensional god (in reality a Seraphim) only a week prior Jade and Tori were already developing a routine for their trips to the Bulltermark with their friends…this did hurt their ability to fully explore their half-blood enhanced capabilities, but Jade's understandable reluctance with revealing their secret kept them on this path. So today's training and research was becoming standard; Cat and Robbie remained in the study…well Cat did venture into the living room and kitchen when things got a little too dark for her liking. Robbie stuck to filling his head with anything he could; partially to correct any false lore he had learned over the years, but also to learn new things about the world hidden just out of sight.

Beck preferred to work on physical training as opposed to weapons, but he said he would eventually workout a balance between the two, yet for now he was contempt with improving his street fighter-esk style. Since he had no formal style to fall on in terms of hand-to-hand engagements he did what he could with what he had, which was already starting to show some promise…but he really needed a pro to guide him. Regardless of this he kept at it because he was absolutely determined to become capably enough to protect Jade… pity it was such a pointless endeavor.

Andre was much the opposite of Beck, because he was thoroughly enjoying trying to become a capable marksman or at least a heavy weapons support agent. He's not what one would call a gunophile by far, however he did like the idea of not waiting till the baddie was right on top of him before he killed it…so it was really only logical that he took to firearms. And to be honest he was proving that he could do a fine job of nailing a target at range, especially since 'almost' most certainly did work with grenades.

Tori and Jade had no problem alternating between any of the above options. But on this day they had decided to simply enjoy the simple pleasure of reading with Robbie and Cat…or rather Tori did some reading with Robbie while Cat and Jade made it a point to relax and watch a few cutesy movies by Cat's request. …it would seem Weston has a rather wide net of what many would consider classic movies, even the animated ones.

Returning from the kitchen with a glass of lemon tea Robbie takes full notice of the girls sitting on the couch and the particular movie they had just started watching,

"Shouldn't you be doing something?" Directing his question at Jade, because doing so to Cat would have been both pointless and unnecessary… (Yes, it was indeed such a frivolous act that it garnered synonyms to help describe just how needless the action would have been.)

Not even bothering to remove her eyes from their half-hearted gaze at the screen Jade answers,

"I am. I am very happily watching the Tiger Queen with my friend Cat." Motioning to Cat with her hand, which generates a smile from Cat as she looks over to Robbie. This, given his brazenly obvious infatuation with the ditzy redhead, causes Robbie to start with a bit of a stutter,

"I-I-I…" Shaking his head he clarifies his original question,

"…I mean training to hunt wise?" Still not looking at him Jade rolls her eyes and sighs,

"Relaxing a little won't hurt…besides I'll be back to it next week and the week after and so on." Rolling her hand in the air as if to display to endless wheel of time rolling on. Before he can raise another question Tori, now standing in the doorway to the study, asks him,

"Are you really going to argue with Jade?" A thin smile plays across Jade's lips at the interference the brunette is providing. Cat takes notice of the curious little smile and the one that brought it into being, but makes no point to speak about it. Though since she's already reforming her thoughts on Jade's love life, this minor discovery adds to the 'not with Beck' pile… and that pile's starting to get much bigger than Cat original thought possible.

After a moment of thought on Tori's words Robbie finally surrenders,

"…No, that would be stupid." Garnering a quip from Rex,

"About time you learned something useful." Which in turn brought a different kind of smile to Jade's face, in turn merely confirming the nature of the previous smile for Cat's data piles.

Ultimately Tori takes a place on the couch beside Jade and the three girls watch the rest of the movie as Robbie and Rex return to the study, much to Rex's displeasure. As they enjoy the true classic Cat takes as much time to watch the movie as she does to take notes on the other two watching it. Her findings are only reinforcing her new assumptions of her friends' new dynamic. Of these findings what had surprised Cat the most was not the sheer level of physical contact that Jade allowed once Tori and her right beside each other, but the fact that she herself initiated at least half of it with her former nemesis. And the real kick in the backside was that Jade's wasn't really focusing on it, or forcing it for a joke or to tease, but it was happening naturally as they watched the movie side-by-side. If Cat didn't know better, and she was starting to doubt that she did, she'd say they were either best friends or…dating, and she really wasn't sure which was more odd, or adorable.

_9Dread9_

The day ended truly unremarkably… save for the 'I told you so' dance Trina preformed much to Tori's displeasure. But then again that was Trina being Trina, so it could still be considered normal or unremarkable. Regardless, Tori retired to her room without much from Irot other than a few teases about her morning thoughts about Jade's influences on her…of course he used a little more sexual innuendo, but the message was still roughly the same: She's in your head… but also in your heart. Tori simply rolled her eyes and went to sleep as Irot wondered how difficult it would be to do to Tori what Edaj is doing to Jade…

Jade had a near picture perfect experience with Edaj, who was already beaming at her opportunity to run at top speed up a tree. The elation was effortlessly being transferred to Jade, generating a mixture of joy herself and disgust at such an unchecked display of happiness. Edaj merely stuck out her tongue at the last bit when it graced her mind courtesy of her human companion. The childish action did make Jade feel that maybe there was a chance that Edaj wasn't as fierce as she had previously shown…that thought was dashed when the cub's expression abruptly shifted to one most diabolical accompanied by a warning, _'You better not be having second thoughts about our little trip.'_

Now fully reassured that her soul given form was the most terrifying thing she was ever going to meet Jade fell to sleep with the information that her unholy terror of a beast was now her guard-cat,

* * *

_Standing behind the elegant figurehead, based on a young woman who most likely hailed from the realm of the far east, of the _Jade Empress_ Captain Oliver questions his advisor on their progress,_

'_Are we close to our destination, Mr. Cole?' Mr. Cole inhales deeply taking in the cool morning air before nodding,_

'_Aye, we be getting closer…I can feel the isle on the wind.' And indeed a slight shiver ran up his spine as they neared the mystic island that the young captain sought. Delighted at this Oliver turns to face the aged sailor,_

'_Excellent, then the sword will soon be mine.' But Cole feels an odd compulsion to warn the young captain that this task may not be as easy as he believes,_

'_It's one thing to find the island, another altogether to reach the camber and your sword.' Laughing Oliver states,_

'_A few traps shouldn't be that hard to avoid, especially with you here, Mr. Cole.' Sighing Cole re-informs the man of the problem with that assumption,_

'_I have never been inside the island, only upon its shores. As I have told you, Captain Oliver.' Still smiling like a fool the captain dismisses this as important,_

'_Yes-yes, I'm aware, but still having one who served with one who can bypass them should afford us some guidance in bypassing them.' Surrendering to the fact that Oliver was most likely already picturing holding the blade in his hands Mr. Cole remarks,_

'_I will place my best effort into it, for I know the consequences well.' Captain Oliver merely smiles as he turns to find Valentina. Leaving Mr. Cole with his thoughts, _'I do hope that your plan has more than faith guiding it "Weston".'

* * *

_Having already been nearly five weeks since Lady West's abduction Captain Vegaria, having received more than a few lessons in swordsmanship from her masterfully skilled first mate, was rather curious as to where they were headed exactly since they had lost their prey,_

'_Where are we headed exactly, Mr. Harris?' She wasn't actually expecting the man to answer her, since he had yet to do so until now…mostly because he was so focused on teaching this novice how to properly handle a blade, fire a gun, command a deck of sailors, and a myriad of other captaincy duties, that he didn't have the time to explain that they had a means of tracking them beyond this one ship. …though in earnest he was also training her with the concept that she wouldn't always know everything she needed, and she had to be able to handle that effectively. _

_But this time he does answer,_

'_Unfortunately, I received this message, Captain.' Handing her the note he continues,_

'_It's from Captain Weston…and he believes their destination will be… The Vault of the Gods.' Noting her look of confusion he starts by clarifying where the Vault was,_

'_It's on an island on the North African coast, outside the Pillars of Hercules.' Before he can resume she interrupts with an unexpected question,_

'_And inside this vault?' For he had been expecting her ask how he had gotten the note or why her predecessor thought that was the destination…not letting his surprise show he answers effortlessly,_

'_A rumored weapon of great power." This of course sends her mind into a flurry questions of what kind of weapon would be powerful enough for this one captain to risk having an entire fleet on him and whether or not there could even be a weapon of such might…then there was the abduction and finally,_

'_What do you think they're planning?' Keeping his eyes on the sea ahead he replies,_

'_It could be a trap, but why not just finish us while they had the chance… It…it feels terribly wrong, ma'am.' Then turns to reveal to her the genuine worry in his eyes. Considering his words, all of them, Vegaria turns to face the sea,_

'_Regardless we must rescue Lady West.' Affirming sternly as she faced their heading, and thinking just as much so, _'None shall stand between me and Lady West. None!'

'_May I ask why she is so important, ma'am?' Mr. Harris fully noted her demeanor and fervor were only so potent when she was speaking of Lady West. I takes her a moment to answer but she finally states,_

'…_She's my charge, I was hired to get her to the Americas, so I shall do what it takes to achieve that. Pirates and sea monsters be damned!' Looking over to him she tosses a smile graced with more than a bit of her previous passion. Returning the smile before he turns and begins walking away,_

'_Understood, ma'am. I would kill to recover the woman I loved too.' Turing away from her departed second, Vegaria simply stares at the sea, '_Does everyone know…and not care?' _For at this era it was considered a rather nasty sin, but it would seem that the Blood pirates truly don't care…_

* * *

_Not a day after their brief discussion Mr. Cole finds himself standing beside Captain Oliver still aboard the _Jade Empress_, now anchored just off the coast of their destination. Oliver takes in the mostly sand and rock covered isle with almost no vegetation to speak of,_

'_Ah, so this is the Island of the Gods?" Obviously disappointed by its less than spectacular appearance. Mr. Cole merely nods so the captain orders, _

'_Let's proceed to the entrance with haste.' For the sooner he was off the island with the sword the better. Nodding again Cole then relays his order to the landing party in waiting,_

'_Move out!' As the men, almost all of them seeing as more than expected were lost in the assault to tempt the Maria Rae to pursue, are scrambling to the row boats Oliver looks over to his redheaded witch of a first mate,_

'_Ms. Valentine, keep an eye on the prisoner, but no playing…' But as he's about to board his boat he turns and offers with a smirk,_

'_Not before me at least.' Providing a wicked grin of her own she nods,_

'…_Such fun we shall have. Good luck and don't dally, I have some control but I doubt it will last.' Smiling even wider she turns to take a more direct guard over her new charge…_

* * *

**AN:** _*Several hours later a man looks down at a person sticking out of the rubble* Are you alright?_

_*Looking up the author most likely has a concussion for the man looking down looks like…* Ice Cube? _

_*Author passes out immediately* _

_Note: So it would seem Ice Cube is in all the Fridays after all. x{D …(sorry, I couldn't help myself)…_

_**DS:**__ The end is very near. Sorry to those of you who like the dreamscape, but since Jori in the real world is nearing, the dream will no longer be required…but there are still a few treats ahead, and surprises none will guess. Mahahahahaha …though I could continue the dreams as a separate story, I suppose. *pondering*_

_**PS:**__ I have this story called __**Go West, Young Vega**__…and if any of you are readers I would appreciate a vote on my poll about Caterina's love life. Thanks for your time. :{)_

**NC:** One of Two 'Dates' or preferably a much better title about Sunny and Tori's morning sparring while Jade does a little training and finding out a little more about the Bulltermark. Then Chp 47 is Jade and Tori's date… though I doubt either will be quite as long as this chp was. :{D

-May Dread watch over you-


	46. Variety is the Spice of Life

**AN:** _…*averts gaze out of shame*… yeah, I suppose I have been gone a little longer than I would have ever liked, but that's the fickle nature of fate… man, what a bitch… anyway, I would like to assure all of you that this story will continue. But I feel that it is only right to apologize for the absence, so… I am sorry to all of you who actually like this story, those of you who have reviewed expressing your desire to see more of it, and especially those of you who have been here since the last release and earlier looking for more only to be slapped with a six month wait, to you I owe the heavens and the earth…_

_Killer: Turn over this story? To whom? One who doesn't have the entire story laid out in their head? One who isn't half the glorious pervert I seem to be? One who has actual skill? …wait that last one sounds actually sounds like a good idea… }x{D_

And I may have changed my style for this chapter, let's see how it's received…

_**Recap (because yeah):**_ First, Sunny is the barista at the Long Shin Café where Jade and Tori found pastries to die for. She is also a resident of the Bulltermark, though is confirmed as not being a hunter, however she is credited with being a ranked kick-boxing champion and has defeated Shelby Marx in an unofficial/charity match.

Now, Jade and Tori had just had a lovely Friday filled with nothing particularly exciting… lets change that with the first part of their Saturday shall we. }:{)

* * *

At the Vega residence most of the gang has gathered hoping to hang out and take it easy… unfortunately they are more than a little down that Tori wasn't present, and even more down since Trina was very much present.

With his head dangling over the back of the right couch Andre asks, "So what exactly is Jade doing? I mean…"

But before he could explain exactly what he meant Beck intercedes, "I have no idea. She said we should all just chill and that she needed to do something somewhere."

Raising his head Andre looks across the small gap between couches to the d-knight's boyfriend, "Yeah, that isn't vague." Before plopping his head back to its previous resting place.

Silence soon follows Andre's words, an uncomfortable and very boring silence that forces Robbie to ask, "…So did you guys have any ideas?" From his seat beside Andre, as Cat was plopped down next to Beck, counting and considering the miscellaneous stains on the ceiling…she was at 37.

"We just found out that…" Looking over to Trina, now standing in the kitchen searching for something, Beck lowers his voice, "…_you-know-whats _are real like six days ago." The silence quickly retakes the four friends merely lazing about in the Vega living room as they let the thoughts of their new reality dance about their heads.

Getting more than a little tired of the moping sad parade currently infesting her living room, Trina makes a few suggestions, "You could go see a movie instead of hanging around in my livin' room….or go do anything at all for that matter." Then she casts her eyes on the Canadian, and in a sweeter tone adds, "Well, not you Beck. You can stay as long as you like."

Now reinvigorated to leave this house as quickly as humanly possible Beck turns to the group, "So where do you guys wanna go?"

Laughing to himself at Beck's predicament, Andre slowly asks, "…What do you think the chances are that Jade's in the penthouse?"

Needless to say at the mention of a penthouse Trina was drawn over to the couches, "Penthouse?"

Beck is quick to reply, "Old worn down shack of a decaying rat hole."

Trina backs away from the group trying not to consider the vermin associated with the pretty boy's statement, "Ewe, nevermind, fre…" She does however catch herself mid-insult after a flash of memory from her sister's angry outburst nearly a week prior, changing her word choice, "…weirdoes."

Shaking off Trina's odd pause Andre gets back to wanting his earlier question answered, "So?"

The Canadian frowns, "Highly likely…"

Andre grins, "Yeah, I'm sure her and Tori have a _fun_ day planned."

Glaring, Beck barks, "Dude, seriously?"

Before Andre continues down his intended path of Jade/Tori teasing, Robbie speaks up, "Uh…there is a classic monster movie marathon playing at the…"

Not even hearing the location Beck stands straight up announcing, "Perfect!" And begins for the door… with the others soon to follow, Andre and Cat drudgingly. Cat had kept silent around Trina, just like she promised Tori she would, sure it was technically just about anything abnormal, but Cat figured complete silence around Trina wasn't a bad thing either way…plus she found 43 odd stains on the ceiling before she had to stop counting, the last one looked like pea soup with carrot chunks.

* * *

Inside the gym of the Bulltermark dressed in dark blue boxing shorts and grey tank tops two girls; one with her hair pulled back into ponytail spar for several hours with no witnesses… save for blood stains on the walls and ring canvas.

Dropping to her left Tori barely has time to dodge the padded fist aimed at her head. Unfortunately her attacker quickly follows up with a padded left knee to her right side. Cringing she drops her right arm to cover the impact spot, leaving her open for a left hook to the unguarded side of her head. Off balance Tori gives the universal symbol for timeout.

With a chuckle her opponent steps back, "You 'alright, featherweight?" Tori wasn't exactly keen on being honest with the kicking boxing champ whose punches could normally demolish anyone foolish enough to fight her, but she couldn't very well tell her that the punches barely hurt her. So she drew upon her acting talent and groaned a little as she looked over at Sunny.

Smiling Sunny drawls, "Awe, how 'adorable. Pretending to look hurt for little 'ole me." She places her blue, padded training glove right hand over her heart.

"Pretending?" Tori looks over slightly shocked, because she was damned sure that she did a perfect fake groan.

Sunny smiles sweetly, "Darlin', in a fight ya' have to be able to detect little signs in your opponent's body language to get an idea of what their next move is. And you, well… I'm callin' bullshit on ya'." Never once dropping her sweet tone.

"I'm not faking!" The d-mage protests in a huff…

Which only makes the Georgian smile slyly, "I'm sure your _tiger_ is _very_ happy about that."

Admittedly, it does take Tori more than a second to fully grasp what Sunny is implying but once she does she chooses to slide into a much calmer demeanor to deal with the insinuation, bluntly asking, "…So is there a sign on my back or somethin' that says 'I want Jade, in every way'?"

"Not your back…" Sunny offers casually, then almost unnoticeably adds a dash of serious, "…but definitely in the eyes." As she points her middle and index finger at her opponent's eyes, swirling her fingers gently as she gives a look as if she were actually reading something written on Tori's eyes.

The d-mage merely cocks an eyebrow. So Sunny laughs and states, "Or, maybe it's my les-goggles making me see things that aren't there?"

Tori smiles, "Thank you." Sunny merely nods, so Tori inquires, "So can we continue?" As she slides back into the basic attack pose.

The other girl slips into her own combat stance as she provides a little teasing, "If you'll stop fakin' hurt, featherweight." The d-mage's reply is to charge at the barista, tossing a flurry of quick punches and even a cross-kick that truly surprised the champ, who barely had time to block it… though the rest of the barrage of attacks was easily defeated by well-timed blocks and dodging.

"Aggressive. I'm sure Jade likes that." Sunny's taunt sends Tori to redouble her efforts, adding more energy to each attack. Unfortunately Tori starts to lose track of just how much she puts into each hit and starts showing off her less than normal levels of strength and speed.

Taking note of the extra oomph of each hit that connects, Sunny opts to end this before Tori throws a punch that a normal person couldn't and a normal person couldn't survive. So as soon as the d-mage delivers her next punch, the barista swiftly catches Tori behind her wrist, then before the snared dragoon can react sweeps her same leg out from under her with her opposite foot. Dropping to the ground with her opponent Sunny then brings Tori's still tightly held wrist across her chest and pins it just beside her opposite ear. With her knee resting on the brunette's stomach Sunny smiles, "I may know a _little_ karate _too_." Earning her an 'ugh' groan and a 'not fair' brooding expression from her pinned opponent. Sunny merely laughs as she releases the d-mage. Just because she prefers kick boxing doesn't mean she isn't versed in other forms of hand-to-hand.

* * *

"Huyeturi vejhu duier torchesa igneitas koliyu!" At Jade's command an orb of super-heated blue flame erupts from her right hand and soon after impacts her intended target… a well-aged pine, leaving a charred indentation in its wake.

As Jade stands there smiling at her improving aim a voice rings in the back of her mind, 'Having fun?' She immediately castes her eyes up to Edaj several yards up another tree with a squirming squirrel in her left paw as she stands on the side of the tree effortlessly.

"Are you?" Jade asks as she eyes the fluffy tailed tree rodent trying to break free.

The tigress smiles as she releases her prey, 'Indeed, I am.'

Watching the squirrel scurry off to safety the d-knight inquires, "Catch and release?"

'I don't kill unless I need to…' Edaj states before leaping to another tree, then resuming once she settles, '…and since you're my food source for the foreseeable future I certainly don't need to kill them.'

Sidestepping to a tree to get a better angle on the tigress's new position Jade promptly leans her right shoulder against it before asking, with a gracing of a tease, "You sure you're me?"

Which is in turn met with a flat-toned, 'I'm you Jade, I know all about that massive soft spot you like to hide.' From the mystic cat.

In response Jade turns on her heel and falls back, letting her back rest against the tree, "I think you're confusing me with Tori."

Crouching down while eyeing her next target, Edaj gladly counters Jade thought, 'No, she shows everyone her kindness…' Then in a flash the tiger is upon a new, slightly chunky squirrel, but does add with a hint of devilishness, '…it's that dark side she hides.'

Her interest peaked Jade pushes off the tree and stares hard at the tree bound hunter, "Dark side?"

Very much enjoying how easy it was to bait Jade, Edaj informs without the slightest hint of her enjoyment, 'Apparently she has some very naughty dreams… and not just the sexual kind.'

At this Jade can feel the Cheshire cat grin…which feels way too appropriate, especially given the circumstances, so she merely nods with a disinterested, "Uh-huh."

But the tigress is quick to resume… once she releases the poor fluffy tailed rodent that is, 'Oh, don't worry, you're in all of the sexual ones. It's the other ones with Beck that you should be afraid of.' Jade shakes her head as she falls back against the tree, rather disappointed that she wasn't getting a dirty little look at the inside of her thousand year companion's darker side. Undeterred Edaj continues, 'Or he should anyway…unless he likes screaming I suppose.'

Rolling her eyes the d-knight lazily offers, "You know you're full of shit right?"

Looking down innocently Edaj asks, 'Are we? I was unaware.' And there is was, the entire reason the oversized housecat with a love of walking on vertical surfaces strung her along on this silly little info game…

And Jade absolutely hated it, "Fuck you." Which only makes Edaj enjoy it that much more, even beginning to laugh at how Jade actually fell into such a silly little trap.

Of course she has to push it a little more, _'…too easy.'_ Making sure that it's barely above a whisper so that Jade will respond.

"I heard that." With a grating of anger gracing her voice.

Smirking rather prominently Edaj states, 'I believe that was my intention.'

"Ass." Jade offers with a snarl.

Thanking all the cosmos for having been born of Jade's soul, the mystic tiger pounces on the opportunity provided, 'Yes, Tori's is lovely isn't it?'

Taking a moment to figure out what this bothersome beast was on about the d-knight looks away when she realizes, "I refuse to answer that on grounds of pure insanity." But of course the fact that Jade's mind decided to toss a few stray images of Tori taunt rump into her head, wasn't missed by the 'bothersome beast' that made Jade's head a second home.

'That and it's the only thing on your mind now.'

Jade rapidly looks up to Edaj with a furious glare, "Is not!"

So the tigress very coolly states, 'Very mature.' …about ten seconds before bursting into a laughter that fills the mind of the only soul in a mile that could actually hear it, much to Jade's displeasure.

* * *

Several hours after Sunny ceases Tori's near half-blood assault of strikes and charges, they are barely standing in the gym sweating buckets and breathing heavily after having resumed their sparring once Tori was level headed and self-aware again.

Leaning against a turnbuckle Tori pants out, "That… was intense." Despite her inhuman endurance her hands were shaking, which matched her legs and chest rather nicely.

Sunny groans as she hold her left side where Tori got in a lucky shot near the end, "Yeah, ya really put up a hell'ova fight there." Luckily Tori herself was exhausted and didn't put everything into it.

"Thanks, sensei." The d-mage does as much of a bow as she can.

Half smirking the champ asks, "So just because I'm Asian I must be a sensei and not a coach…or an instructor?"

Grinning Tori answers with, "I'm too tired for you…to mess with me."

With a chuckle Sunny replies, "So ya' saw through my clever ruse?"

Tori widens her grin, "If you weren't so laid back I might have believed you…or if I wasn't too damn tired, coach."

Motioning toward the locker room the barista offers, "Well, hit the shower then go home and rest up. I'll fix ya somethin' special tomorrow."

As she tries to take a few steps, Tori gets dizzy, "…I'd like that, sexy sou'thern laa'dy." Slurring her words as she falls face first onto the mat.

Somewhat dumbfounded Sunny stands there staring at the unconscious girl laying face down, "Uh, so I…." Then snaps out of her daze, "I guess I'm taking you home then."

Walking forward with far more control than her down for the count opponent Sunny then proceeds to scoop Tori up in her arms, noting, "Damn, featherweight, you're pretty heavy." Immediately thinking to herself, _'And just plain pretty. …__**This is definitely not the time.**__ …Come on, I can't look? __**….Not when looking turns into touching, no.**__ …Killjoy. __**…Sex addict.**__ …It's not my fault, I'm only half human after all. __**…and so are her and her mate.**__ …I know. I can still see the mana pouring out of her. __**….then I suggest the human side takes command here.'**_ Begrudgingly Sunny surrenders to her self-control and does nothing to the sleeping half-blood in her arms as she makes her way to the elevator. Stealing a few glances before she's scolded again, "Damn, fine."

* * *

Returning Edaj to their room with such speed, stealth, and grace it was almost as if she had never left, Jade was already off again to the Bulltermark and a little personal time before she went out with Tori later.

Standing in the center of the armory hidden in the study inside the penthouse Jade looks at the Berknight minigun, considering the bulky six barreled lead dealer. After several minutes of silence she retrieves the heavy weapon and two of the enormous ammo boxes for it. As she turned to leave she noticed a taunting revolver on the small arms wall, recalling how both Emily Grey and Weston used them against the werewolves. Shrugging she sets down the ammo and holsters the silver plated short barrel .44 Magnum down the front of her skirt and grabs a box of standard ammo for it before retrieving the minigun ammo and disembarking for the range. The entire ride down the elevator she had a massive smile on her face.

Setting the ammo and revolver on the table she precedes to load the minigun. Once the large five hundred round box was locked in place she disengages the safeties and steps onto the range tightening her fingers on the grips and prepares for the continuous recoil produced by the stream of lead that was about to pour forth unto the defenseless targets before her.

After some deep breathing she uses her index finger to press the button responsible for pre-rotating the barrel, generating an electric hum as the engine sends the barrels spinning. Then she presses her thumb down on the electronic trigger...

The lead begins to pour forth like a shower peppering several targets as she tries to keep it focused on just one… unfortunately her inhuman strength isn't fully compensating for her lack of experience and the gun's natural inaccuracy. Instead of putting too much effort into it she laughs manically as she gladly gives into the pure joy of actually firing a minigun… one handed, as she drops her left hand and one arm's it with devilish joy in her eyes.

Depleting the first ammo box she turns to procure another, and finds a short, slightly bulky man with dark skin and short hair dressed in jeans and a snuggly fitting black T-shirt standing there.

Before she can say anything he remarks on the event he had just witnessed, "Huh, don't see that every day." In a calm level, slightly lighter than his thicker build would suggest he had, voice.

Being Jade, she doesn't skip a beat when she retorts, "What a girl playing with a big gun?" As she hefts the multi-barrel beast with both hands, giving the pre-rotation button a little squeeze for added effect.

With a light chuckle he answers, "No, seen plenty of those. But it takes a special kind of crazy to enjoy that type of destruction."

"I like destruction…can't say I'm sorry about that." Stating as she begins walking back over to the table toward her observer. His answer is an understanding nod.

When she gets close enough he extends his left hand, "Well, I'm Damian Cole."

Setting the minigun on the table with her right she surrenders her left for a shake, "Jade West." Figuring he seemed alright enough… and was a Cole, most likely related to James given their current location.

"Dad did say you would be the more aggressive one…" He casts he eyes on the weapon still partially attached to her arm, "…I suppose I should have known it was you."

"And I bet James said Tori was the polite one." Jade offers as she begins removing the spent ammo box.

"Yep." Noting the extra ammo box and unexpended pistol rounds he inquires, "So, is this a private session or do you mind if I…?"

The hint of charm was just the right amount, but Jade had plans and she shared them without reservation, "I was just about to check out a few of the other ranges, so have at it." Grabbing the other ammo box and reloading her extended right arm.

Not hurt in the least he wouldn't have any company he advises, "I'd suggest the bamboo forest, it tends to be more fun with a machinegun."

Locking the box in place Jade tosses a grin, "Thanks…" Then grabs the revolver and its ammunition, before heading off toward one of the trails.

From behind her she hears, "I'd take the left trail…" He waits to make sure she stopped walking, before adding, "…then a right, left, left, right, and left."

Given that Jade had a date she needed to get to before too long and wasn't keen on wondering around looking for the bamboo forest, she turns and asks, "How much do you charge for guide services?"

Cheerfully he states, "Free for hunters…" Then slyly adds, "…loyal to the Legion."

"And free lancers?"

He considers her question, then grins, "Let's see if you're any good with that revolver, then we'll talk"

Setting both the ammunition box and revolver on the minigun, Jade then pulls out three of the enchanted silver rounds and holds them by the casing with her lips. Utilizing her left hand she releases and opens the cylinder, bringing it up to her mouth. She then uses her tongue to pop the rounds out of her mouth into the cylinder. With the three rounds loaded she flicks the cylinder back in place, cocks the hammer, turns to face the targets with her left side… and then fires, unloading all three shots into three separate target's heads. Looking over to Damian she grins, "…How's that?"

Somewhat impressed he confirms, "…So the bamboo forest then?"

Jade gladly steps aside, "After you." Motioning to the general direction he had suggested she go.

* * *

Having carefully placed Tori inside her matte black 1987 Dodge Omni, Sunny then went back inside to request a rather important piece of information from James, "So, where does Tori live?"

Chuckling he has a question of his own, "So you decided to ask me that after you put her in your car?"

With a sly grin she offers, "You know me and a pretty a girl."

Never actually stopping his laughter he swiftly hands her a piece of paper, already possessing the address in dark blue ink, while saying, "Drive safe…" Affirming with a nod she heads out to take her student home.

Not terribly long after leaving the Bulltermark Sunny finds herself holding Tori unconscious in her arms, standing before her student's older sister.

Casting her gaze down to her sleeping sister, Trina frowns, "Do I even want to know?" Then looks back up to the stranger carrying her, "...Oh, and who are you?"

With a semi-shy grin, Sunny offers, "Sunny. I'm sort of her kick-boxing coach."

"Didn't know she was into kick-boxing." A bit surprised at this new bit of intel about her sister.

"Not sure it's her thang, she just wanted a lesson or two." Sunny drawls as she shrugs, still holding a sleeping Tori, who can't enjoy being carried for once.

Bluntly Trina retorts, "That's dumb, I could've taught her karate if she'd have asked."

Taking the 'dumb' to be referring to her choice in fighting style, Sunny raises her voice a little and paints it with a more serious tone, "Hold up a second, who says karate is better than kick-boxin'?"

Not backing down from this aggressive individual Trina raises her own voice, "I do…and anyone else who knows anything about fighting."

With a devilish grin Sunny leans in closer to her adversary, "Well I reckon there is one way to see which is better."

Trina narrows her vision, "Name the time and place." Leaning in closer herself.

With a half-grin, Sunny offers, "I'll leave those up to you, darlin'." Winking as she basically tosses Tori into her sister's arms, which actually caught Tori on reflex, and departs with a hasty pace.

Leaving a semi-confused Trina standing there in the doorway reciting, "Darlin'?" As she drops Tori to the floor, generating an audible crash… yet not waking the d-mage.

* * *

Andre, Beck, Robbie, and Cat spent the rest of the day enjoying the more cheesy monsters in the older flicks, finally relaxing a bit and letting their minds drift away from the last week of weird. A few good laughs were shared at corny lines and cheap props…and Robbie slipping on the extra butter runoff from some guy's popcorn, landing the ventriloquist in a small pile of bubblegum, and when he tried to rise the floor kept his shirt, resulting in him wearing the pink jacket Cat brought for the rest of the marathon.

Jade actually enjoyed meeting a new face… mostly since it didn't make much noise when they were shooting, which was fairly often. They only briefly spoke, and only about technical components of bamboo forest fighting… which lead to a small debate about Chinese martial arts movies with bamboo forest scenes on the elevator ride back to the lobby, where he soon departed for a long overdue rendezvous with a paramour. Catching the time Jade herself rushed off as well, though for a different type of meeting that wasn't going to end in a bed with no clothes or sleep for several hours…

* * *

**AN:** So I suppose some might be confused by Sunny, well I'll let you speculate for now, but her situation will be explained later on. And as for Sunny/Trina, kick-boxing or karate?

And one more thing: I'm back baby! …And I brought the chopper! *Austrian accent not included*

**NC: Date Knight** (…yeah I had to…)

_-May Dread watch over you-_


End file.
